


It Might Even Be Great

by WhatOtherPlanet



Series: 3rd year at Beacon AU [3]
Category: RWBY
Genre: 3rd Year At Beacon AU, Arm Wrestling, Blake has a suit (and a very complicated gender), Developing Relationship, Established Bumblebee, Everything else is developing, Extremely Eventful Double Date, F/F, F/M, Flirting, Fluff, Kissing, Love Confessions, M/M, Multi, Museums, No enabler, Nobody Died Yet For Reasons, Oblique References to the Sociopolitical History of Remnant, Original Grimm, Pancakes, Pollination, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Surprisingly Light Angst, Waffles, fancy dresses, literally everyone is some flavor of queer, plot in the sequels, that security guard who rolls his eyes at the girls in chapter 10? he's trans and has two boyfriends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-04
Updated: 2019-07-31
Packaged: 2019-08-17 17:38:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 45,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16520975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhatOtherPlanet/pseuds/WhatOtherPlanet
Summary: Two years ago, team CMSN disappeared before the singles rounds, and Pyrrha Nikos won the Vytal Festival Tournament. Two years ago, the sudden spike of White Fang activity in Vale anticlimactically faded away, leaving police and hunters alike baffled. Two years ago, Roman Torchwick vanished from his cell without a trace, frustrating the Atlas military to no end.But that's in the past. Given time, the students of Beacon have learned and grown, and the Vytal Festival is coming around again, this time to be held at Haven Academy.Now, team RWBY are preparing to give the tournament their second (and final) shot.Only... there are a few interpersonal issues to resolve first.





	1. Chapter 1

After three days worth of going back and forth on it, the three of them finally stood at the corner just before their dorm room.

It was Friday evening, and the dorms were mostly empty. Beacon wasn't exactly a party school, but classes had only just begun this week, and most of the third-years wanted to get _some_ fun in before the workload started to hurt.

For these three third-years, though, tonight was more important. It was a night months—maybe years—in the making. It could be the beginning of something really excellent.

Or… it could just be really, _really_ awkward.

Ruby Rose swallowed, staring at the door to her dorm room. "Okay. Um. Maybe I'm not ready."

Blake sighed, putting a hand on her leader's shoulder. "Ruby…"

Ruby shook her head. "No, but seriously, what if she isn't interested? What if she thinks I'm creepy, or I put too much pressure on her and stress her out? Or—"

She felt another hand on her back. "Rubes," Yang said, "you are going to go in there, and you are going to tell Weiss Schnee that she's beautiful and she is going to blush and stammer and be adorable the only reason I'm not going to be taping it is because I respect both of you too much to ruin this for you." A pause. "And because Blake would yell at me."

"I _would_ yell at you."

Ruby pulled her cowl over her head in embarrassment. "What if she hates me? I don't think I can deal with Weiss hating me!"

Blake chuckled. "Ruby, relax. You know Weiss. You know that she likes you, and that's not going to change because of a crush. She smirked, squeezing Ruby's shoulder with a very Blake-y smirk in her voice. "Plus, if the looks she's been giving you since the two of you got back from Patch are anything to go by, she _really_ likes you. I don't think you have _anything_ to worry about."

Ruby mumbled something that wasn't words. Blake was right, Weiss had been acting strange all winter, and even a bit before that. Lingering glances and small hesitations at first, then small touches, little hitches of breath. Leaning harder into Ruby's hugs, and casually sitting close enough for their shoulders to brush.

_Not that I minded. I've been the same way, probably for longer._

Yang didn't give Ruby a chance to form a coherent response, just giving her a gentle push around the corner. "You got this," Yang whispered.  "I believe in you, sis."

Beside her, Blake made a fist in solidarity. "Go get the girl, Ruby."

"Okay, okay!" Ruby shuffled forwards. "I'm going, I'm going." She turned away as the two of them slipped back behind the corner. "Dumb, gay dorks," she muttered with a little hidden smile, grateful that they were on her side.

She stopped right outside the door, her breath catching as she heard a chair move. Yes, Weiss was definitely in that room.

Ruby gathered up her all her strength of will, though it didn't feel like much at the moment. _Be strong Ruby! She's fine with Blake and Yang dating! And Blake says she likes you! Maybe even thinks you're cute! You trust Blake! And even if Weiss doesn't feel like that, she probably won't hate you forever for having a crush on her! Probably!_

"Is somebody out there?"

Ruby almost screamed as the door swung open, revealing a grouchy-faced Weiss, dressed in a sleek blue nightgown and with her hair unpinned and cascading down her back.

Somehow Ruby had never gotten used to that. She'd seen Weiss in her PJs plenty of times over the last two years but the sight of Weiss with her hair down stunned her every time. She was beautiful like this. Not that she wasn't always, but—

"R-Ruby?" Weiss said, snapping Ruby out of her trance. "Is something the matter?"

"Oh! Uh!" Ruby grinned, hoping her blush wasn't as obvious as she knew it definitely was. "Sorry! I actually had a thing that I wanted to ask you?"

Weiss's face was blank, and for about two seconds, raw unfiltered panic coursed through Ruby's veins.

Then pink crept into Weiss's cheeks. She averted her eyes. "Um, yes, certainly." She shook herself and stepped out of Ruby's way. The door sealed them in together.

Ruby's heart hammered at her ribs like a caged beowolf. There was a moment of strained silence, as the two tried very hard not to look at each other.

Then Weiss sat down on one side of her bed, leaving a conspicuous amount of space beside her. "So," she said. "What were you here to ask?"

Taking the hint, Ruby sat beside her, keeping a fair amount of distance between the two of them as fireworks went off in her brain.

_Like dad says. Communicate. Clearly state what you want, without pressure or expectation. Use your words._

Ruby sucked in a breath.

"HeyWeissIhaveacrushonyouwouldyoulliketogoonadateorcuddlesometime?"

 _Those were words!_ Ruby tucked her legs up to her chest, face on fire. _Okay okay, she's not saying anything. How is she reacting? Look, dammit! Look with your dumb silver eyes!_

She looked. Weiss was staring off in the other direction, her face and neck red as embers.

Ruby wasn't sure she'd seen her friend blush this hard before.

"Ruby," Weiss said, measuring her words. "I… would like to do that."

Ruby's heart soared.

"…However, I… don't think it's a good idea right now."

Ruby's heart stopped soaring and did a double take. "Wh? Why not?" she blurted out before she could stop herself.

Weiss continued looking away from her, which was… more than a little distressing. "To start with… there's my family to consider."

Ruby took a sharp breath. "Your dad," she said, almost a whisper.

Weiss looked up at her. "If it was just him… I wouldn't hesitate for an instant."

It was all Ruby could do to hold Weiss's sight, her stomach was dancing in her throat, and her heart had decided to play her liver like a drum. "…But it's not?"

Weiss shook her head, her gaze falling mournfully to her knees. "It's… me. I've never been all that good at dealing with interpersonal relationships, and I'm worried that I won't be able to be a very good partner to you."

"Oh," Ruby said, her mind racing to take in… whatever was happening. "Weiss… you know that's not what this is about?"

Weiss looked up at her, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. Ruby swallowed, and looked back with all the determination in the world.

"I mean that… Weiss, I want to date you. I want to kiss you. I lo… I like you. I don't want a 'good partner,' I want _you._ "

There was a beat. Red crept into Weiss's cheeks, and then quickly into Ruby's.

_Oh god I just said all of that._

Ruby recovered, seizing the inertia before she could freeze again. "I want you to be able to talk to me about whatever's going on. Whatever you decide is fine, and I'm gonna be here for you one way or another, but I thought you might feel the same way about me." She swallowed, and the next words took all her strength to say. "Was I wrong?"

"No!" Weiss said, her voice hard. She tensed, and then suddenly stood, putting distance between them. "You weren't wrong," she said. "I want that. More than I can say." Her hands balled into fists. "I'm not sure if… Ruby, I…"

Ruby's eyes softened, and she gingerly stood. She walked over and hugged her partner, pressing into her back. Weiss gasped. She moved as if to pull away, but when Ruby loosened her grip Weiss just turned and pulled Ruby to her.

It was shockingly warm in Weiss's embrace.

A sob tore its way out of Weiss's throat, and Ruby hugged her twice as hard. "It's okay," she said, pressing her face into Weiss's shoulder. "It's okay. I'm here, and you can talk to me. Anything you need to say."

Weiss shook, crying into Ruby's shoulder, tension and terror bleeding out into the fabric of her partner's clothes. Her fingers clutched at Ruby like she might slip away, but Ruby didn't make any move to run.

"Ruby," Weiss said, her voice shaking, "I think something is wrong with me."

"Nope."

Weiss laughed, lifting a hand to rub at her eyes. Ruby guided her back to the bed, sitting her down. Ruby kept her arm around Weiss, running her fingers in little circles over her shoulder blades, through the fabric of the nightgown.

Her cheeks lit briefly. _Weiss is only wearing a nightgown._

She shook it off. _Not the time._

Weiss looked off towards the other end of the room, the two empty beds there, her face distant, lost in thought.

"I mean it though," Weiss said.

When she didn't offer further clarification, Ruby tilted her head cautiously. "It's not the… _two girls_ thing?"

A bitter smile crossed Weiss's lips. "My father would object, but… no. I'm bisexual. I've known that for years."

Ruby's heart fluttered a bit. "Okay," she said, failing to keep the hope out of her voice. "Well… you don't have to tell me, but… if you'll let me, I want to know."

Weiss was silent, her eyes on that distant point, her jaw set. She opened her mouth, paused, and then spoke.

"In Atlas, I was taught how to love people."

Ruby's eyes widened.

Weiss took a breath before she continued. "In abstract, I mean. Lessons, with tutors. No one expected me to be celibate, far from it in fact. A lady in Atlas is expected to use her sexuality as a tool. A bargaining chip. It's part of politics, of business deals, of… socializing."

Ruby swallowed, feeling a little sick. "That's…"

Weiss's mouth twitched. "Repugnant?"

Ruby hesitated, clearing her head. "It's… not something I really understand," she said. "But it sounds… cold."

"I suppose so," Weiss said, smiling sadly. "But… it's how things are. A teacher of mine once told me that being bisexual was an 'asset.' That it would open doors that were closed to other women." Her laugh was hollow. "I was _proud_ of that, even when she told me not to be _too_ public about it.

She sighed, her hands folding in her lap. "But _feelings_ are more complicated. In all that talk of 'making love,' there was little talk of _falling_ in love, just that it was dangerous and that I should keep a level head and be wary of seduction, lest I be taken advantage of. Even marriage was described to me in terms of practicality. A way to connect families and fortunes, and to perpetuate bloodlines." She smiled bitterly. "Which meant, of course, that I could never _marry_ another woman."

Not sure what to say, Ruby squeezed her partner's shoulder. Weiss shut her eyes and breathed a long sigh.

"Then, I came to Vale. A world utterly unlike my own, with different beliefs and different rules. I'd read stories about people in love, but I didn't fully understand the difference until…"

She trailed off, and Ruby followed her eyes to the other beds. "Until Blake and Yang got together?" she guessed.

Weiss smiled. "They were so happy together. They _cared_ about each other, not about using each other's bodies or getting something out of the relationship. Even just being friends with the three of you, with everyone here at Beacon, helped me understand so much that had been _missing._ Understanding that I didn't have to hide my emotions from everyone, or hold everyone at a distance to preserve my image." Her smile grew, her face luminescent. "And then I started to understand what love was like."

Ruby smiled, squeezing her again.

Outside, the sun was going down, but neither of them moved to turn on the lights.

"Only…" Weiss said, her smile fading. "I think that… it might not have been a good thing."

Ruby felt Weiss tense, and looked up at her. Weiss was looking away, her shoulders set.

"I love Vale," Weiss said, her voice suddenly shaking. "I'm so happy I got to come here, to experience this place and these people. I'm so glad I got to meet you… but…" Her voice hitched. "I don't think I can love people like I'm supposed to here."

Ruby's voice was gentle. "What do you mean?"

"I mean… where I grew up, relationships of convenience were the norm. There was never any illusion of committment or deeper connection, or… _exclusivity_."

Ruby's eyebrows rose a fraction.

"And when I came to Vale, and started to understand all of this, I… I kept some of that in me." She pulled away from Ruby's hand, shifting towards the far end of the bed. "I learned how to love like you do, but nobody ever taught me how to _stop_."

Ruby's eyebrows rose another fraction. "Oh. Um… that's—"

"That's what I mean when I say I'm broken," Weiss said, her voice losing its warmth in a bath of shame. "I've thought about it, I wanted to say something, but every time I did, I could only think about how much it would hurt you if I wasn't strong enough." She laughed, humorlessly. "It's almost funny! For all that I criticise my own culture, at heart I'm sitll just another blueblooded atlas slu—"

Ruby clapped her hand on Weiss's shoulder. "Weiss."

Weiss looked up, like she was stunned out of a trance. There were tears in her eyes.

Ruby took a deep, deep breath.

"That's not a problem."

They stared at each other for a few seconds. Weiss sniffed, rubbing her eyes. "You're ah, taking this strangely well?"

Ruby sighed, and fixed Weiss with the full force of her silver eyes. "Okay, this is going to seem weird, but hear me out."

Weiss nodded, looking nervous.

"Alright. Weiss? Have you ever thought about the fact that Yang and I have two different moms?"

"Um," Weiss scrunched her brows together. "I was aware of that, but I'm not sure I follow."

"Well, we were born two years apart, right?"

Weiss nodded.

"And our parents—and Uncle Qrow but don't worry about him right now—were on a team together at Beacon, so they all knew each other _really_ well, long before Yang was born, right?"

Weiss's eyes widened, maybe starting to see where this was going. "…Right."

Ruby's mouth twitched into a smirk. "And you probably _didn't_ know this, but Raven, Yang's mom? She left my dad when Yang was _three_."

She could see the gears in Weiss's head turning. "Ohhhh," she said softly. "And your father…"

"Definitely had a lot of help building our house," Ruby said.

"Ah."

There was a pause, as Weiss stared at the sheets in stunned silence. "I didn't know people did that," she said, weakly. "Everything I've read since coming to Vale… even in Atlas, marriage was something different. _Singular."_

Ruby shrugged. "Love is weird, Weiss. I don't know how it worked for my parents. Yang and I never got dad to give us a straight answer about it."

Weiss's lip twitched. "It… sounds like there might not be a _straight_ answer."

Ruby groaned, loudly. "Nooooo…"

She stopped, suddenly hearing a sound that set her heart flying. Weiss was laughing, light and careless. Ruby looked up and caught her gaze, and they lost their thoughts in each other's eyes.

After that breathless moment, Ruby put her hand on Weiss's.  Weiss grasped it, folding their fingers together.

Ruby spoke. "I just want you to know that… you're not broken, Weiss. And if you are, then you're only as broken as my family." She felt a pang. "And, I guess that's actually not the best way to say it, uh—"

Weiss squeezed her hand. "I understand," she said, her voice so thin it seemed like it could shatter at the slightest breeze. "Thank you, Ruby. Thank you… so much."

_Have her eyes always been this beautiful?_

"I love you."

Ruby felt a spark of rushing panic as she realized that _she'd_ been the one to say those words. Her hands tried to fly to her lips, but Weiss held them like an anchor.

"I…"

Weiss swallowed.

"I love you too, Ruby."

"Oh," Ruby said. "Cool."

…

Weiss snickered, and Ruby pulled her knees up so she could bury her face in them.

"Oh my goodness," Weiss heaved, trying to catch her breath amidst the giggles. "You are _such_ a dolt."

"I'm sorry!" Ruby whimpered, giggling through her flushed embarrassment. "I'm so bad at this! Aaaaaaaaaahhh!"

"Please, you aren't _nearly_ as bad at this as me."

"Um, excuse me? Apparently you had _flirting training_ or something!"

"That _so_ doesn't count!" Weiss was laughing hard now, and Ruby realized they were still holding each other's hands. She lifted her head, giving Weiss a smirk.

"So," Ruby said, infusing her words with flirty energy, "did they ever teach you how to kiss someone?"

Weiss froze mid laugh.

Ruby faltered, as her brain started to catch up with her mouth. "B-because uh I have no idea, and um, y'know, if you'd, like to, uh, show me, that'd be… cool."

Weiss's face was glowed like she had light bulbs in her cheeks. "W-well," she said, lidding her eyes and dropping her voice. "I w-wouldn't be opposed to the notion."

Anxiety was bubbling through Ruby's whole body, expectation and irrational terror warring in her cells. But… "Well then?" she said, fluttering her eyes with a look she hoped was sultry.

Weiss's breath caught in her throat. She leaned in. Ruby's heart nearly stopped.

Their foreheads smacked into each other with a thunk.

They pulled away.

"Oh no," Weiss sputtered, "I'm so sorry Ruby areyouokay—"

Ruby started laughing.

"Hey!"

Ruby couldn't help it, she leaned into Weiss, chin against shoulder, laughing so hard she cried. The anxiety in her broke, cascading down her sides in a rush of happy chaos. "Oh my god," she wheezed between giggles. "Weiss, Weiss, that was _hilarious."_

Weiss huffed. "Well, I'm glad you find my pain amusing!" Gently, she untangled her hands from Ruby's and put them around the younger woman's shoulders. She shifted, pulling away just enough for their eyes to meet.

Ruby smirked, heat in her cheeks as she stared into those smiling blue eyes. "You wanna try again?"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Just shut up and kiss me, dolt."

So Ruby did.

 

* * *

The next few hours happened slowly. New kinds of touch, new kinds of happiness. Tension melting like snowdrifts in spring. The tickle of breath on neck, of fingers on spine.

But there was also hesitation. Places untouched. Things unspoken. They didn't taint the moment, but they lingered over it, even as Weiss gasped at the feeling of lips on her neck, she couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt.

Ruby, bless her, noticed it.

She retreated, silver eyes sparkling in the low light. "Weiss?" she asked, her lips a worried line. "Is something wrong? Are you okay?"

Weiss shut her eyes, trying to decide what to say. "Ruby… I… I'm just scared."

Ruby's breath caught in her throat. "Oh! Oh, sorry, did I—? Sorry!"

She tried to scurry away, but Weiss caught her by the wrist, blue eyes piercing into her partner, pinning her.

"No," Weiss said. "Sorry, I didn't… I'm not scared of _you,_ Ruby. I'm not scared of _this._ "

Ruby's lips parted. "Oh."

Weiss kissed her, as tenderly as she could. She was still new at this, still clumsy despite her education. Atlesian courtly lovemaking was a _physical_ thing. It was quick, efficient, precise. It was supposed to _feel_ good, but it was impersonal. Clinical. Like the pushing of buttons.

Ruby deserved better than that.

"I'm not scared of you," Weiss repeated, pressing her forehead to Ruby's, feeling the warmth of her, the sweat on her brow. "It's okay."

"Ok." Ruby nuzzled into her, and Weiss's heart bloomed, but Ruby pulled away again. "Then… what are you scared of?"

Weiss sucked in a breath. She didn't want to say it. She wanted to push it down, to just melt back into this moment and be with Ruby, to lose herself in the touch of lips and the warmth of skin. She wanted to just… be happy. To be satisfied.

But she couldn't let this continue. It had been a lovely evening. Maybe the best she'd ever had. But she couldn't hold back this information and let this relationship grow on ground so poisoned. Ruby mattered too much.

She shook herself, leaning into her training, steeling herself and composing the words that would chop it all down. "Ruby… I can't do this."

Ruby froze, and Weiss found she'd never hated herself more than in that moment.

"Why not?" Ruby asked, her voice wobbling on the edge of something terrible.

"Because…" Weiss swallowed, trying not to cry. Why was it so hard to keep her emotions in check? "You're too kind. I know you don't think I'm broken, but even if I'm not… even if you accept that I might not love you and you alone… that doesn't mean this is a good idea." She looked into Ruby's eyes, and found a hurt in them that cut through her chest.

Still Ruby wasn't one to give up without a reason.  "That… still doesn't answer my question, Weiss."

Weiss shut her eyes. "It's not about _how_ I love. It's… _who_."

She felt a hand land gently on hers, fingers twining. "I don't care who it is. No matter who it is, it won't change anything," Ruby said. "I promise, Weiss, so—"

"Even if it was your sister?"

Ruby's hand tensed, and Weiss felt very small. _Ah, here it is. The one good thing I've had, now destroyed. I really am the worst—_

But then, the hand relaxed, still twined with hers.

"Oh," Ruby said, quietly.

Weiss opened her eyes. Ruby looked… stunned.

Not angry. Not disgusted, just… lost in thought.

"That could be complicated," Ruby said.

Weiss balked.

"T-that's it?" she said. "I tell you that I'm in love with your sister and your response is that it's _complicated?"_

Ruby blinked, eyes on Weiss, clearly trying to find words to match her thoughts. "Well… I mean, you'd have to talk with Blake about that." Her eyes widened. "Oh, wait, what about Blake?"

Weiss's cheeks reddened sharply, and she looked away. "That's…" she muttered. "I thought that, you'd be more upset about…"

"Oh, like, the idea of you dating both me and Yang?"

Weiss blushed even harder, ducking her head in shame.

There was a pause, and then there was something brushing against her cheek. Fingers tracing the edge of her hair, brushing lightly against her jawline.

She looked up, and found Ruby smiling.

"I mean," Ruby said, "Sure, it's weird, but we're all weird."

Weiss just stared, completely at a loss. "Wh… how… how are you okay with this?"

Ruby shrugged. "I dunno? It doesn't bother me. It's not like this really shatters my dreams or something, mean, I never thought of myself being in _any_ kind of relationship before I met you."

Weiss's mouth dropped open, too stunned to speak.

"Um, which," Ruby stuttered, suddenly looking away. "Um, sorry."

"W-why are you apologizing?" Weiss burst out. "That's… that's the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me!"

The two of them were having a hard time looking at each other. Their hands were still intertwined, and Ruby's suddenly seemed very warm to Weiss. Without thinking, she pulled their hands to her lips, and kissed the back of Ruby's palm.

A little shiver ran through Ruby. "Wow."

Weiss was about to apologize for the impulsive action, when Ruby tugged their hands back and kissed Weiss's knuckles. Silver eyes looked up at Weiss over the gesture, wide and seeking.

The proper kiss that followed felt as inevitable as gravity. It lasted ages, and might have continued forever if Ruby hadn't eventually run out of air.

"So," Ruby said as they parted, glancing off to the side with a mischievous smirk. "You never… answered my question about Blake."

Weiss did her best not to lose any more of her composure than she had already. "Well… yes, I do have… feelings for her as well." She sucked in a breath. "Which, I promised myself already that I would never tell anyone about. Along with my feelings for Yang. Because they're already in a committed relationship and I'm very happy for the both of them and I don't want to get in the way with my own selfish desires, so please never speak of this again?"

Ruby smiled gently. "Your secret is safe with me. Althooooough, I have one too I guess?"

Weiss tilted her head.

"I… also think Blake is really cute."

Weiss's jaw dropped, and Ruby's cheeks lit up in embarrassment. "Not that I was going to do anything about it! Like you said I'm really happy for both of them and I don't wanna mess with stuff. It's just that she's so, y'know, cool, and kind, and driven. Like she's been all around the world and had all these amazing adventures fighting for what she believes in and she's _really hot_ and… I get what my sister sees in her." She broke off, smiling a sad little smile. "I… hadn't thought about it in a long time, honestly. Remember how they got really obvious at the end of last year?"

Weiss's mouth twitched. "You mean the flirting in class."

Ruby groaned. "They did it _so much._ And, it was funny, and they seemed happy, and that's when I decided that… well, I guess that's it." She shifted, falling to lay on the bed beside Weiss. "Just before that, I… was trying to decide which of you to ask out."

Weiss looked down, in shock. "Me or Blake?"

"Yeah," Ruby said. "You're both really important to me, and I care about both of you a lot as friends. Plus you're both _gorgeous_ and _awesome._ You're really different people, but you're both people I would have been happy to spend my life with. You still are."

Once again, Weiss was stunned into silence.

"That's!" Ruby sat up sharply, hands waving. "Ahhh forget I said that! Sorry!"

Something in Weiss snapped.

"Ruby," she said, her voice dropping to a dangerous pitch, "stop apologizing for saying adorable things or I will kiss you until you lose the ability to speak."

There was silence for an instant as they both processed what had just been said.

Then, Ruby giggled. "Is… is that a promise?"

Weiss just stared for a good six seconds. Then, she snorted. "Unbelievable."

Ruby just giggled even harder."Not gonna lie, the way you said that was pretty hot."

It took a great resolve not to tackle Ruby right then and there, but Weiss held up a hand, stalling the moment. "Alright," she said. "I… I need to ask one last thing, to be sure."

Ruby nodded, her face taking on an uncharacteristically serious shade.

"What do you think I should do? About these feelings."

She was familiar with the question herself. She'd agonized over it, wept over it, in private. She knew her answer, that she'd take what worked out and… suppress any other feelings. It wouldn't be the happiest thing, but with Ruby by her side, she'd be alright. Things would be alright.

Still, she wanted to hear Ruby's answer.

Ruby pondered, her brows knitting as she turned the question over.

When she spoke, it wasn't the answer Weiss was expecting. "I think you should talk to them."

Shock stung at Weiss's neck. "T-talk to—"

"To Yang and Blake," Ruby said. "I don't know how it would turn out, or how they would feel about it, but… Blake cares about you. She won't be angry anymore than I was, and Yang… well, you've met Yang. If nothing else she'll be flattered by the attention."

"You're serious," Weiss said. "And if—"

Ruby moved across the bed and pulled Weiss into her embrace. "If they don't feel the same way, I'll still be here," Ruby said. Her voice was soft as the petals of a flower. "And if they do…"

"If they do…" Weiss felt tears rising at the possibility, one she hadn't dared to consider for fear of becoming lost in it.

"Whatever happens, yes or no, in the end I believe it'll be okay," Ruby said. "And, who knows? It might even be great!"

It felt like a sun was shining in Weiss's chest, scouring away the cobwebs and the fear, the old dirt of shame and anxiety. She looked at this beautiful, remarkable, wonderful girl in front of her, the kindest soul she'd ever met.

"Ruby?" she asked, her voice shaking.

"Yeah?"

"Can I kiss you?"

Ruby beamed, her wondrous smile declaring her answer. 

* * *

 

It was another hour before Ruby remembered to text their teammates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Lemme know if you have suggestions going forward! It has been years since I'd doubled down this hard on a writing project, and I don't really remember how to do this properly.
> 
> Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2

**Bumblebug Groupchat**

**12:58 AM**

**GunscytheGirl: oops sorry!** **  
** **GunscytheGirl: ruby rose reporting in: everything went better than expected!** **  
** **GunscytheGirl: thank you both for the moral support! <3**

 

A smirk twisted at Blake's lips. Across the table, Yang let off a snort of laughter.

 

 **BigYang: its k** **  
** **ShroudedCat19: To be blunt, we expected this. And were maybe hoping for it. I take it that things went alright?** **  
** **BigYang: yeah howd it go!?** **  
** **BigYang: did u smooch the girl**

 

Blake gave her partner an acidic look. "Yang…"

The offending party grinned back. "What?."

"Be nice."

Their scrolls beeped again, drawing them back to the girl of the hour. _Or the last several hours._

 

 **GunscytheGirl: 🙂** **  
** **GunscytheGirl: 😄** **  
** **GunscytheGirl: 😊**

 

A fluttering light danced in Blake's chest.

 

 **ShroudedCat19: Mhmm.** **  
** **ShroudedCat19: So you can't say.** **  
** **ShroudedCat19: Although you can smile.** **  
** **GunscytheGirl: 👍**  
**BigYang: wait** **  
** **BigYang: can u tell us in emoji form**

 

"You really wanna know, huh?"

"Um, _duh._ Are you telling me you _don't?"_

"…Okay, fair."

 

 **GunscytheGirl:** **🤔** **  
** **GunscytheGirl: ☝⏲**

 

Yang and blake looked at one another.

"Is she telling us to wait?" Blake mused.

"Maybe she's asking Weiss if she can tell us."

Blake's smile widened. "That's adorable."

Yang smirked. "Mhm."

 

**GunscytheGirl: 👍**

 

"Ohmygod."

"Shh!"

 

 **GunscytheGirl: 🌹+** **❄** **=** **👩💋👩** **  
** **GunscytheGirl: 🌹+** **❄** **=** **❤️** **!!!!!** **  
** **GunscytheGirl: 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍**

 

Blake's eyes wandered back and forth across the symbols, committing them to memory. The heat in her chest, rose quickly to her cheeks, and she covered her mouth with her hand to hide the magnitude of her smile.

Yang, less reserved by a mile, punched the air triumphantly. "Hell yeah!"

 

 **BigYang: BIG CONGRATS RUBES** **  
** **ShroudedCat19: Congratulations!** **  
** **ShroudedCat19: We're both very proud of you.** **  
** **BigYang: my little sis got the girl** **  
** **BigYang: shes all growed up now** **  
** **BigYang: im so proud** **  
** **ShroudedCat19: And Team RWBY is now officially the gayest team on campus.** **  
** **BigYang: take that cfvy** **  
** **BigYang: brings a tear to my eye** **  
** **GunscytheGirl: 😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊** **  
** **GunscytheGirl: sfsdddddddddddddddddddddddddddd**

 

Looks were exchanged.

 

 **ShroudedCat19: ...Ruby?** **  
** **GunscytheGirl: Hello, dolts.**

 

Yang _cackled_. "Oh my god."

 

 **BigYang: WE'RE DOLTS NOW!!!** **  
** **BigYang: WEISS SAID SO** **  
** **ShroudedCat19: It's truly an honor.** **  
** **GunscytheGirl: So you were all plotting against me behind my back. Clever.** **  
** **GunscytheGirl: Devious, even.** **  
** **GunscytheGirl: Not unwelcome, though.** **  
** **GunscytheGirl: Thank you for helping this dolt. And for letting us have the room.** **  
** **BigYang: always at your service your icyness** **  
** **ShroudedCat19: Happy to help.** **  
** **GunscytheGirl: Mhm.** **  
** **GunscytheGirl: Now come back and sleep.** **  
** **GunscytheGirl: Dolts.** **  
** **GunscytheGirl: 😊**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh god I hope the emojis work for everyone I don't know what I'm doing


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY NEW YEAR FRIENDS WE'RE BACK

Blake Belladonna hesitated before the door, her hand curled into a fist but not quite ready to knock.

"What's up?" Yang asked, brushing up behind her. Blake leaned into the warm, soft touch, humming as she thought it over.

_I'm happy for them, but there's something else too. Something I'm having a hard time admitting to myself._ _Something that I don't want to name because naming it makes it real. I'll have to face whatever it is soon, but… this is_ ** _their_** _time, not mine. It can wait._

Blake sighed, letting it go for now. "I  _ am _ a little nervous," she said. "I can't help but wonder how the team dynamic is going to change."

Familiar arms wrapped around her, and the anxiety vanished completely. "It won't be too bad," Yang said. "Just like when we got together, remember?"

Blake smiled, closing her eyes and letting a rumble build in her throat. She only indulged for a moment though, before gently pulling away and raising her fist again.

She knocked.

There was a scrambling sound.

Ruby answered.

And Blake  _ stared _ .

Ruby's face was red as a sunset and her eyes seemed to be focused on something beyond the realm of mankind. Her hair was a mess, frizzed up and spiked out, and she was wearing a black turtleneck which Blake had never seen her wear once before today.

It was, in summary,  _ very obvious  _ what Ruby had just been doing, but the hasty, scattered attempt to hide the details was the bit that really struck Blake hardest.  _ Gods, she's cute when she's embarrassed. _

Blake's mouth twitched as she fought to control the heat rising in her cheeks. "Hey Ruby. I take it you had a good evening?"

Ruby tried very hard not to grin. "Yeah, y'know," she said with badly feigned nonchalance. "Just a quiet night of studying and talking about feelings and stuff. Like ya do."

Yang leaned over Blake's shoulder, her voice like honey. "Studying and feelings. That right, sis?"

"Yup!" Ruby beamed like a lighthouse. "Studying and feelings."

"That's  _ almost  _ convincing," Yang drawled. "Except ah, one detail."

Ruby tilted her head, smiling sweetly.

Blake's eyes narrowed fondly. "Your turtleneck isn't  _ quite  _ tall enough."

Ruby's ears went pink as her hand went to a spot just above the neckline. "Nooooo" she moaned. "You  _ noticed…" _

"I'm  _ impressed," _ Yang said, stepping around Blake to get a better view of the mark. "I had no idea you'd get to hickeys  _ this quickly. _ "

Ruby let out a little yelp and flashed away in a burst of petals, landing on her swaying bed. "It was an accident!" she said. "We got carried away! Not that I mind—it was nice! Weiss is nice! Nice Weiss!"

Sitting on the lower bunk, Weiss just stared at her knees. "...mhm…" she murmured.

Blake was about to follow up with a skeptical retort when she registered  _ Weiss. _

Weiss. Prim and proper Weiss. Sitting on her bed, hair down and impeccably combed, cheeks bright pink, refusing to look anywhere but her knees.

…and wearing a long red scarf with her nightgown. A scarf Blake  _ had  _ seen Ruby wear before, and which Weiss was now doing her best to drown in.

_ Okay  _ **_that_ ** _ is adorable. _

"Well at least we tried!" Ruby continued. "You two  _ never  _ hide it when you've been  _ canoodling. _ "

Yang waggled her eyebrows, which was a thing Blake had never seen a person actually do before. Somehow, Yang made it cute. "Canoodling, huh?" she crooned. "Is  _ that  _ what you two were up to for the last four hours? What happened to 'Studying and Feelings?'"

Ruby sputtered, retreating a little further back into her bed. "I-I didn't say we were canoodling! You're the canoodlers! I resent the implication that I have ever canoodled!"

"And how about the other accused?" Yang said, turning her attentions on the embarrassed lump of a girl on Weiss's bed. "Are  _ you  _ a canoodler, Icy Weissy?"

Blake choked at the nickname, but reigned in her laughter for the moment. "Yang…" she murmured.

She was going to say something about being nice, about how this was obviously an emotionally intense situation and as much as they all knew this was just Yang's way of celebrating the occasion it might be good to reign it in for the night.

Then her gaze fell on Weiss's expression.

The little heiress's cheeks were bright pink, her hands fisted in the folds of her nightdress. Blake had thought it was anxiety, but now she noticed the way the line of her lip kept almost frantically twitching up. Her eyes were wide and smiling.

She was  _ enjoying  _ being picked on like this.

It was maybe one of the cutest things Blake had ever seen, and she suddenly decided that, while they definitely shouldn't tease their teammates  _ all  _ night, she just as definitely wanted to see if she could get Weiss to blush even harder.

So she shot Yang a challenging smirk, cocked her hip, and settled into a casual stance, eyes lidded. "Canoodler or no, I have to say you did an  _ impressive  _ job on Ruby's neck. We should compare notes sometime."

Behind her, Ruby made a sound like a beached tuna.

Then, to everyone's surprise, Weiss spoke up. "Is that so? I'll take that as a compliment, thank you. But I think you're overlooking the real star of the show." Then she stood, smoothing out her nightdress with all the dignity and poise of a monarch twice her stature. Her eyes snapped up, catching Blake's and then Yang's, as, with calculated motions, she undid the scarf.

Blake's jaw hit the floor. She'd expected Weiss to blush, stammer, and generally continue being adorable. Instead, she felt like she'd fallen into a trap, like Weiss had been waiting for Blake to join in the teasing, so so that both her and Yang could be hit with the same counterattack. It would have seemed absurd if it had been anyone else, but Weiss  _ was  _ on that level of bullshit.

Blake  _ also  _ hadn't been expecting Ruby to leave quite so  _ many  _ hickies. She had to admit, the younger sister had  _ extremely  _ impressive technique.

Yang started laughing. Hard.

Weiss spread her arms wide like an actress accepting a reward, tilting her chin up to look down her nose at those below her. She was smirking almost as hard as she blushed. "Read them and weep, bumblebees! I am a canoodler and I am not ashamed!"

Yang's legs gave up on standing, and she fell back onto Blake's bed, cackling like a weird banshee. Blake continued to try and pick up her jaw.

Ruby zipped to Weiss's side, sputtering and waving her hands frantically. "Weiss!!!" she said, clearly pronouncing every exclamation point.

Weiss looked at her, and suddenly the height difference between them seemed much greater than it was. "I will not be shamed," she declared, reaching out to cup Ruby's cheek with a fond touch. "I love you and I am proud of you. And no amount of petty teasing will  _ ever  _ make me express otherwise."

Ruby melted, eyelashes  _ fluttering,  _ and the two leaned in for a kiss which wound up… quite a bit deeper than anyone was expecting.

It was a lot to process all at once. Blake's ears flattened as she fought to tear her gaze away, her heart doing pirouettes in her chest.  _ Gods Weiss is smooth. Gods Ruby is cute when she's smitten. Oh gods oh gods they're both so cute I'm dying. _

"Holy shit," Yang wheezed, lying splayed out over Blake's bed. "Blake, Blake, I think they won. They're gayer than we are."

Blake could only nod in response, sitting down beside her girlfriend, feeling… a lot of things.

_I'm happy for them, but there's something else too. Something I'm having a hard time facing in myself._ _Something that I don't want to name because naming it makes it real._

_ …But I already know what it is, don't I? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wooo okay and now Team RWBY is, more or less where they were before I nuked everything. And I finally get to write the plot!!!! WOOOO!!!


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning started like any other Saturday.

"I'm just saying," Yang said, shooting a fiery glare at Nora over the cafeteria table. "Waffles are obviously the better breakfast food."

"Puh-lease," Nora said back, her glare sparked up to match. "Pancakes for _life._ "

"Uh, waffles are," Yang started counting off fingers. "Easier to make and more consistent, crispier, you can get them in packs of like twenty at the store, they have ready made little cups for syrup and butter to rest in, _and_ you can put brownie mix in a waffle iron and boom, brownie waffles." She smirked. "Oh look! I ran out of fingers on this hand."

She slammed her palm on the table with a bang, Ruby providing a little "ooooooooh brownie waffles" in the background.

Nora rolled her eyes. "Alright let's go." She held up her own hand, repeating Yang's gesture. "Pancakes. One! You can put chocolate chips and blueberries and stuff in the batter. Awesome. Two! Texture is subjective but fluffy pancakes are objectively better anyway. Three! They can be _any_ shape, including cute ones! Four! You can pile a _bunch_ of them on top of each other and just eat _all_ of them. Five! _Pancake dots._ "

She slammed her hand down, smirking as Pyrrha gave a little half-hearted cheer in team solidarity.

"Pancake dots… Dangit she makes a good point," Ruby murmured, staring at the table in deep contemplation.

Yang stood sharply. "Seductress! How dare you bewitch my little sister over to your side!"

Nora matched her, failing to hold back a grin. "It's only what you deserve! Comparing your pitiful mass-produced wheat grids to my lovingly crafted homestyle dough saucers!"

"…Dough saucers?" Jaune asked with open skepticism, leaning around Pyrrha. Neither of the girls seemed to hear him.

Yang's eyes flashed red. "I _will_ fight you, Valkyrie."

Nora cracked her knuckles, sending sparks cascading over her hands. "Bring it, Xiao Long."

In perfect synchronization, they slammed their elbows into the table and clasped their fists together.

On three!" Ruby said, holding a napkin up like a little flag. "One! Two! THREE!"

The table creaked as two _very_ powerful young women slammed their full arm strength into one another.

Blake pinched the bridge of her nose, unable to stop herself from smiling. "Dorks," she muttered. _Still, one of them is_ my _dork._ Smoothly and practiced precision, she planted a kiss on Yang's cheek.

"Love you too babe," Yang said out of the corner of her mouth, head snapping forward as Nora forced her halfway to the table. "OH SO THAT'S HOW IT IS HUH NORA?"

"ALL'S FAIR IN LOVE AND ARM WRESTLING YANG."

* * *

 

Weiss tried and failed to suppress a snicker as the two muscleheads strained against each other.

Two years ago, she'd turned her nose up at things like this, but these days she found them comforting. Little demonstrations that she really wasn't in Atlas anymore, that the rules were different here. It was only after a moment that she realized she was staring at her teammate's arm, her cheeks a little redder than usual.

She took a breath, breaking her focus, though she felt a little less guilty than she would have yesterday. The rules were different here, but even the rules of Vale didn't necessarily constrain her wholesale. At the very least, there was room to dream.

Ruby's hand drifted over to lightly bump against hers. The touch sent a little jolt to Weiss's heart, and she felt a familiar guilty pang, before remembering sharply that there was no reason for it anymore. This touch was not an accident, it was communication, but unlike she'd been taught to expect by her tutors in Atlas, there was no insistence, no demand, no layered innuendo. Just a hesitant question.

So she answered, clasping her fingers tight with her partner's. _Yes._

She looked over at Ruby, who offered her the kind of smile that made Weiss want to pick her up and carry her away somewhere. _Yes, yes, yes._

"Soooooo, Weiss?" Ruby said, glancing across the table at Pyrrha and Jaune—still watching the contest—then back to Weiss. "I wanted to ask you a thing?"

Weiss smiled absently, internally absorbed with how unbelievably cute Ruby was. "Yes?"

"Can, I… touch you? In public?"

Weiss froze, her eyes wide as flabbergasted warmth erupted across her cheeks. "R-Ruby!?"

Panic exploded across Ruby's face. "Oh god! Sorry! Not like, that!" She ducked her head, hood flooping up to hide the color of her shame. "Just, little things. Like, holding your hand, leaning against you, or resting my head on your shoulder, stuff like that. I just, y'know… I think it'd be nice, but we haven't gotten a chance to talk about how public our… _us-ness_ is, yet. And I don't wanna mess things up for you. So, it's fine if you don't want to."

She ducked her head even further. She looked near tears.

_Unacceptable._

Weiss lifted her hand, brushing Ruby's hood back to run fingers through her hair and gently turn her face. Blue and silver eyes locked together, and Weiss could see the tension fading, the fear of rejection washing away. _That's better._

She dropped her hand, as her senses came back to her. On the one end, there was the obvious practicality: She needed to maintain her image if she was ever to wrest control of the company back from her father in the future. Once she was done at Beacon, she fully intended to make her best effort to restore her family's name, and having some very public indiscretions with the… less than illustrious Ruby Rose of Patch would not exactly help her chances at winning over the Atlas nobility.

On the other end… that was several years and hundreds of miles away, and Ruby Rose was sitting right here looking _unreasonably cute_ with her big silver eyes and her hair still mussed up from sleep. And she was waiting for an answer.

Weiss spoke before she could second-guess it. "Yes. We should discuss this further, another time, but the short answer is yes."

Ruby's eyes sparkled as her unshed tears found a new purpose. She wiped them on her sleeve, beaming, and shuffled a little bit closer. "So…" she said, pressing her shoulder up against Weiss's. "This is fine?"

Weiss let out a long, happy sigh. She still wasn't used to honest touch. For all the theory that she knew on the subject, the only real physical contact she gotten growing up was from her sister, and almost all of that had been in the form of sparring. A hug from Winter was a rare and precious commodity.

Then she'd met Ruby and Yang, quite possibly the two huggiest people on Remnant. And while that had been _quite_ the adjustment, Weiss had come to find it comforting.

This new kind of touch was even better.

She leaned into Ruby's side, and even gently rested her head on her girlfriend's shoulder, basking in the soft smell of roses that followed the girl wherever she went, the nervous warmth that constantly radiated from her skin. She'd expected to feel excited, or flustered, but instead she felt _safe._

The moment only lasted until Weiss remembered that they were in a public space. She wanted this badly, but… they really needed to talk about it first.

She lifted her head away regretfully and glanced over at Ruby, who had… an indescribable look on her face.

Weiss blinked, her heart rate spiking. "Um, was that, too much?"

"Nope!" Ruby squeaked, giving Weiss a spectacular smile. "Definitely fine! I just didn't expect you to do that. Not that it was bad! It was very nice." She lowered her gaze in embarrassment, but the smile still remained. "…Please do it many more times."

Something inside Weiss melted, and It took a great deal of self control not to kiss Ruby on the spot. _God she's beautiful, I love this wonderful girl and I will protect that smile until the day I—_

She froze again, feeling the hairs on her neck prickle. Across the table, Pyrrha sucked air out of an empty juice box, eyes carefully cast off into the distance, while Jaune casually spooned cereal into his mouth, except he'd run out of cereal and was instead just drinking milk very inefficiently.

Weiss sighed, giving both of them a sharp look. To their credit they dropped the act immediately.

"So, Ruby, Weiss," Pyrrha said, setting down her empty juice box and putting on a painfully wide smile. "How have you two… been doing lately?"

The question hung in the air for a long moment, as the two pairs stared at each other. Ruby tilted her head, giving Pyrrha an _'are you alright?'_ look. Weiss's expression was more of a pointed ellipsis.

Jaune sighed, placing his head in his hands in resignation. "…She wants to ask if you're dating," he said.

"Jaune! I was being polite!" Pyrrha looked back at them, her smile returning. "Although, yes, I was curious. You two _are_ being markedly more affectionate than usual."

Ruby went pink, suddenly finding her food very interesting. "Thaaaaaaat… is a question," she said, tapping her fingers together nervously. She shot Weiss a worried glance.

Weiss smiled warmly back at her and nodded slightly, the way she would have in a fight. Ruby returned the gesture, relief blooming from the ashes of anxiety.

Weiss turned her gaze towards the other pair. "Well," she said. "We only broached the concept last night, so things are in a bit of a raw state right now, although…" She turned to Ruby, leaning in and lidding her eyes. Her hand drifted up to cup the younger girl's chin.

Ruby's cheeks went from pink to red. "N-no fair," she said, though her expression gave lie to her protest.

"I never was all that good at playing fair," Weiss said, casually. She looked over at Jaune and Pyrrha, whose faces were both a little redder than they'd been a moment ago. "So, yes. Your assumptions were more or less correct."

Pyrrha clapped her hands. "Congratulations," she said. Jaune only gave a mute nod, looking quite flustered. Weiss realized that she was still holding Ruby by the chin, and gently pulled away. Ruby followed her a few inches, before relinquishing the contact with a quiet sigh.

The moment was shattered, as Blake coughed lightly into her hand. "Not that any of us mind, but if you two are _trying_ to go for subtle… it's _really_ not working."

"It's… _super_ cute though..." Yang grunted.

The arm wrestling match was still going, both contestants having now decidedly put dents in the table with their elbows. Both were sweating, but Nora had the advantage, as Ren quietly and diligently wiped her brow off with a napkin.

"Really. Cute!" Nora huffed. "And if anyone. Is mean. We'll. Legs."

"Thank you for the thought," Weiss said. She gave them a hard look. "How are you two still at a stalemate?"

"I really. Wanna kick. Her ass," Nora said through her teeth.

"Oh… yeah?" Yang growled back. "Is… _that…_ all you… want with… my ass?"

"And now they're flirting," Blake deadpanned. Weiss eyed her, trying to gauge whether Blake was upset by this in the slightest. The answer seemed to be 'no.'

Ren sighed. "It's been nearly half an hour and you two haven't even touched your food."

"It can… wait," Yang fired back. Nora nodded in agreement.

"But… your food is the reason you're fighting," Jaune said.

Nora shook her head. "It's. About. More than that. Now."

"Yeah… this is about… honor… and stuff."

A wry smile slipped across Blake's face. "Incredible. Both of you, really." She gave Weiss and Ruby a "watch this" sort of glance, and then, with casual grace, slid over and pecked Yang on the cheek.

"Blake please."

She did it again.

"Blake stop."

"You first."

"…Dammit."

Weiss almost _giggled_ before she pulled together her composure. It was quite rare she got to see Yang flustered. It was a good look on her.

"Ha," Nora breathed, her grin practically a snarl as she looked upon her struggling opponent. "That's your. Weakness. Yang. You're too gay. To stop me."

That had been a mistake.

Suddenly the whole of Team RWBY was staring at Nora, chilly mischief in their eyes.

Nora had the good sense to look terrified. "Oh. Crap."

"Yang?" Blake said, sweet as a heart attack. "I'll kiss you properly if you kick her ass _right now._ "

Yang's attention locked onto Nora. "Will do, sweetie." She grinned, and her eyes went bright red.

Nora paled. "Oh sonnuva—"

There was a loud crash as Nora lost, hard.

"Dangit!" she moaned, pulling her hand carefully from where Yang had driven it into the table. "Dang your awesome semblance!"

"Sorry Nora," Yang said, stretching her arms 'til they popped. She leaned in towards Blake, meeting the incoming kiss for a wonderful two seconds before breaking away with an even bigger grin than before. "I guess you're not gay enough to stop me." She held up a hand; Ruby hi-fived it.

Pyrrha laughed. "You deserved that," she said, aiming a friendly punch at Nora's shoulder.

Jaune sighed, setting his head on the table. "And once again, there goes the honor of team JNPR."

Ren patted him on the head. "We'll get it back someday."

"You just wait," Nora said, wagging a finger at Yang. "Next time I'll be ready! Ren, do you think we could get an extension cable? I can use this fork and—"

"…Eat your pancakes, Nora."

"So…" Ruby said, redirecting the conversation as Yang and Nora finally started paying attention to their food. "I know it's early, but what are you guys doing for the Vytal Festival?"

It would have been impossible to describe exactly how, but Pyrrha's face… changed. Her normal affable attitude vanished in an instant, replaced with something hard and determined. Her mouth opened like she was about to speak, but then it closed again. Her face smoothed out, going back to normal without a word, but the… moment had been impossible not to notice.

"Sorry!" Pyrrha smiled too hard, her gaze drifting off to the side. "There's just… a lot on my mind. We're going to talk that over today, actually."

Jaune picked up where she trailed off. "We're definitely _going_. Nora and Ren have wanted to visit Mistral for a while, plus it's a chance for Pyrrha to see her family, and one of my sisters lives in Argus."

"So… what's there to talk about?" Blake asked. "Are you thinking of not participating in the tournament?"

Team JNPR looked at each other, communicating in some secret language of muted expression and meaningful glances. It was a pretty common trick. Most teams learned to do it eventually.

" Nothing quite so dramatic," Ren said. "Pyrrha's considering not advancing past the team round." He smiled, putting a hand on the girl's shoulder. Pyrrha leaned into the touch.

Nora glanced towards the contact, her cheeks faintly coloring. "Yeah…" she said. "I mean, she's already got _one_ trophy, right? Even if she did win the next tournament, it's not like it'd prove anything, since we all know Pyrrha's awesome and pretty and the best." She pounded her fist into her palm with a faint discharge of static. "Plus, that means it's _my_ turn, and I'm _all_ charged up!"

Ruby and Weiss were more than a little stunned, the heiress murmuring _pretty?_ under her breath, but Yang nodded, extending a fist out towards the champion. "Makes sense. You _gotta_ give me an unofficial rematch sometime though, okay? That was the best fight of my _life._ "

Pyrrha's face did the thing again, flashing to something that almost looked like _contempt._

"Oh I'm sure you'd love that," she growled.

The table went dead quiet.

Weiss's breath caught in her throat, unable to believe what she'd heard. Jaune, Ren, and Nora all tensed at once, their expressions hardening. Ren and Jaune set their hands on Pyrrha's shoulders. Nora quietly stood.

Yang blinked. "Um. Pyrrha?"

Pyrrha's eyes widened. "Oh fuck." she said, and then suddenly looked away. "Sorry, that was, um." She smiled too wide, bringing her fist up to where she'd left Yang's hanging. "I'll… be looking forward to it."

"Uh, yeah," Yang said, peering at her askance. "You… sure?"

Pyrrha's expression shifted, and suddenly she looked… _ill_ was the only way to describe it.

"Sure she is," Jaune said, smiling nervously as he leapt into the conversation. "But right now we should probably get going."

Nora quickly moved behind Pyrrha, smiling like a sun about to go supernova. "Yeah! We got loads to talk about, and only so much daylight y'know!"

Ren's hand stayed on Pyrrha's shoulder. "Lots to discuss," he said.

Pyrrha gave RWBY a weak smile, and stiffly stood to joined her teammates. They were gone in an instant, practically running to get out of the cafeteria. Jaune led them, while Nora and Ren flanked Pyrrha, keeping her in the center of their formation as they brushed off attempts at conversation from other tables.

* * *

 

Yang's eyes stayed locked on the door they'd left through as she turned the last few minutes about in her head. Her first thought was _did I piss Pyrrha off somehow,_ but that was easily discounted. Yang knew Pyrrha as well as just about anyone outside of RWBY, and Pyrrha would have _told_ her if there was a problem. She might have an anxious streak, but she could handle confrontation.

"Alright…" Weiss shot the rest of the team meaningful looks. "Everyone _did_ see that, right?"

Ruby's eyebrows pressed together. "Wait, did _Pyrrha_ just say f-"

Blake cleared her throat, and made a meaningful gesture towards the other end of the table.

Nora had left her plate behind. With half a pancake still on it.

Ruby forgot what she'd been saying and stared at the pancake like it was an omen of doom. "Okay, now I'm really scared."

"I get the feeling this isn't just 'Pyrrha has a bad day,'" Blake said. "The rest of the team definitely know what's going on, and they're taking this surprisingly seriously."

"Okay but what is _this?"_ Ruby asked. "Is Pyrrha okay? Why haven't they talked to us about it?"

"They probably will, in time," Blake said, shooting Ruby a sympathetic look. Her expression darkened a moment later, but she didn't say anything more.

Yang laid a comforting hand on her shoulder, and Blake leaned into the touch, turning it into a hug. Blake didn't deal well with extreme or uncharacteristic anger, especially from people she cared about. It'd been a stumbling block in their relationship at one point, and Yang had gotten used to watching for it in others, knowing the kind of effect it could have on her girlfriend.

Ruby sat up a little straighter, popping out her scroll with a determined spark in her eyes. "I'm gonna send Jaune a message. I'll ask how Pyrrha's doing, let him know that we know something's up, and that they can tell us if they want to. When they're ready."

"Are we certain that's a good idea?" Weiss asked.

"I'm in favor," Yang said. "It _is_ their business, but what Pyrrha said bordered on a personal attack. Not like it actually _hurt_ me, but I'd _really_ like to know what it was about in case it happens again."  _To me, or to anyone else._

Blake nodded, pressing a little harder into Yang's arm.

"Alright," Weiss relented.

"Aaand sent," Ruby said, tapping a button on her scroll. "I guess there's not much we can do except wait, now."

Yang's mind wandered. She thought over the look on Pyrrha's face, the way her voice shifted to almost a growl. It was… somehow familiar.

She snapped her fingers. "Wait a second. I think this has happened before."

Blake's eyes widened, suddenly piecing it together. "Do you mean that time last year, with Cardin?"

"Yeah," Yang said. They'd all been in the cafeteria for breakfast when stupid fucking Cardin had started pulling the tail of a freshman—Rhea, if Yang was remembering right.

They'd been about to go stop him when Pyrrha walked into the scene. grabbed Cardin by the collar, and lifted him right off his feet.

"I remember thinking it was strange at the time," Blake said, "But I eventually just assumed she'd had enough of his bullshit and snapped. I mean, who _didn't_ want to beat up Cardin by last year." There was a vague murmur of assent from the sisters.

Weiss drummed her fingers on the table. "Still, it _was_ definitely strange," she said. "Pyrrha  _may_ have a hero complex—" She glanced around, seeing little argument. It wasn't exactly an uncommon trait at Beacon. "—But that's the _only_ time I've seen her escalate a situation to violence. Pyrrha gets angry like anyone else, but she's no brute."

"Exactly," Blake said. "But that day… the look on her face wasn't just _angry_. I've seen anger, and I've seen people who are ready to smash someone's skull in with a brick. _That's_ what she looked like."

"But then she froze up," Yang said, "and suddenly she was lecturing him like normal. And when she did put him down it was _carefully,_ like she wanted to make sure she _didn't_ hurt him. It was like she was a different person, or… like she was back to being Pyrrha."

The four stopped a moment to process that idea, but Ruby's scroll beeped before they could get very far.

"Jaune says she's alright," she said, eyes darting back and forth. "And that they'll tell us tomorrow after class if we promise to swear secrecy."

"Well _that's_ ominous," Weiss grumbled. "But I suppose it's good news."

"It does confirm that something's going on," Blake said, worry creasing her face.

Yang squeezed her shoulder, shooting her girlfriend an easy smile. "But it _also_ means we don't have to worry about it," she said. "Her team's with her, they know the situation, and by tomorrow we will too." Her smile turned to a grin, and she slammed a fist down on the table, rattling the silverware. "So! Let's move on to team business."

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "Ooookay?" Weiss and Blake gave her similar looks.

Yang didn't miss a beat though. She turned to Blake, bowing her head and extending a hand in an exaggerated expression of chivalry. "Seeing as how we have this fine, fine spring afternoon ahead of us, I'd like to ask my lovely girlfriend to accompany me into the city."

Weiss sputtered. Ruby just let out a long-suffering groan.

Blake's cheeks flushed, but she took Yang's hand in hers. "So long as we don't have any more pressing concerns," she said. She aimed a furtive glance at Ruby and Weiss, a little smile at the edge of her lips.

The other, newer couple looked to one another. "So you're going on a date?" Ruby asked.

"Yup!" Yang beamed, breaking her knightly act and pulling Blake into a hug. "We haven't actually gotten a chance to go out on the town since we got back to Beacon, so I figured it'd be fun. I was planning to ask her last night but we were a little _busy._ " She grinned pointedly at the new couple. "And since we're on that note, I figured you two _canoodlers_ might enjoy having the room to _yourselves_ for a while."

"Blech! Yang! Ew!"

"H-hold on a moment!" Weiss protested. Her ears were turning an adorable shade of pink. "I don't know _what_ you think you're insinuating, but we only started… _going out_ last night! We haven't even had time for a proper date ourselves yet." She paused for a moment, and then a devious little smirk bloomed. "I think perhaps _we_ should be the ones going 'out on the town' tonight. You two have been dating for _significantly_ longer, and I imagine you haven't had much time to yourselves either, what with us all sharing the dorm."

"Wait," Ruby said, eyes widening as she managed to go even redder. "Did you just ask me out?"

Weiss turned, smile softening into something gentler. "If you'd like," she said, lacing her fingers with Ruby's. "I'd love to take you to dinner somewhere."

Yang shot Weiss a appreciative grin. _Smooth move, ice queen._ Still, there was principle to uphold. _"Ex-cuse me,"_ she said. "You can't just switch _our_ plans around!"

Blake rolled her eyes. "It's not like it has to be either-or. Vale's plenty big enough for the four of us."

Ruby's eyes flashed. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "OH! I got it! We could do a _double date!"_

A stunned moment followed the proclamation. Yang gave her sister a look, and their eyes met. Ruby's smile widened as she hit Yang with a mischievous wink.

Yang's eyebrow rose sharply. _What the heck are you playing at, Rubes?_

"That's… a fun idea," Blake said, "But… are you sure you want to do that for your _first_ date?"

That was a _very_ good point. Yang glanced at Weiss, who seemed to be doing her best to melt into the bench while giving Ruby an utterly indecipherable look. Then, out of seemingly nowhere, Weiss sucked in a breath and said, "I have no objection."

Yang's eyebrow rose a millimeter further. _Okay_ **_what_ ** _is happening._

"I guess I'm fine with that then," Blake said. She nudged Yang. "How about you? Last vote."

Yang looked at her girlfriend, then at Weiss, then at her sister. There was a weird energy in the air, but it wasn't negative _._ Blake seemed confused but happy, Weiss looked… _flustered,_ and Ruby was beaming like she'd just won the dorm's monthly _Super Slam Sisters_ tournament.

And if Yang was being honest, she _was_ looking forward to teasing Weiss some more.

"Alright," she said, letting slip a grin to match her sister's. "Let's do it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That took so much longer than I thought it would! But it's over!!!
> 
> Special thanks to Sgt_Chrysalis for reading over the draft! It's nice to have someone tell me I'm not fucking up before I post things to the public internet for everyone to see forever.


	5. Chapter 5

The moment they were out the cafeteria, Weiss pulled Ruby aside. Blake and Yang only paused briefly, before giving each other a look and waving the two off with "knowing" smiles and a "let's meet back up at five!" from Yang.

Weiss managed not to glare, but only just. They did  _ not  _ know. They had  _ no idea. _

"Ruby," she hissed, pushing her partner-now-girlfriend up into a small alcove in the hallway, empty save for a small table and benches for studying. "While I  _ appreciate _ you being supportive of my…  _ feelings,  _ don't you think this is  _ maybe  _ a little early?"

Ruby hunched back sheepishly. "You could have vetoed! I just—they wanted to go on a date, and then  _ you  _ asked me out and Blake said 'the four of us' and it just clicked!"

Weiss dragged a hand down her face. "We've been dating for less than a  _ day.  _ We can't just immediately start trying to…" Anxiety bubbled in her chest, and she dropped her voice. "This…  _ thing  _ that… that you want for me is not something I know how to approach. I'm… worried about taking things too quickly."

Ruby's hands closed on hers, warm and soft. "Okay," she said. She offered a kind smile and sat down at the table, gently tugging Weiss to sit beside her. Weiss begrudgingly allowed herself to be tugged.

"You said we needed to talk about stuff," Ruby continued, "aaaand we've got a little while before we're going out, so let's do it." She scooted down to the corner where the bench curved to rest against the back wall. Weiss followed her, and found herself settling up against Ruby, her head resting gently on Ruby's shoulder. It was… indescribably nice.

"Okay," Weiss said with a long sigh. "Let's… start with something easy: Touching. In public."

Ruby giggled. "Sorry about…  _ phrasing. _ "

"Oh hush." Weiss smirked. "Though suffice it to say… no, you cannot  _ touch  _ me in public." She savored the sputtering the remark elicited, before moving on to the real point. "But for public displays of affection the answer is still yes. I won't waive my right to change my mind or say no as circumstances dictate, but I refuse be ashamed of you for any reason. If anyone…" She bit her lip, and resolved to face the real issue. "If  _ my father _ has a problem with that, he can come to  _ me  _ about it."

Ruby shifted, laying an arm around Weiss's back. "Is he… not okay with the bi stuff?"

_ How to put this?  _ "The problem is less that you're a girl and more that you're a commoner who provides no useful value as a business connection."

Ruby accepted this completely unfazed. "Gotcha. I am  _ definitely  _ a commoner."

Weiss smiled. "And I love you for that."

"D'awwwww."

"Shush." The smile faded from Weiss's face. "We should be more specific, though. Things I'm fine with in public include subtle touches—hand-holding, leaning on one another, foot contact under the table, hair touching and head pats, so on and so forth. Some relatively chaste kisses are also acceptable. The hard limits are at the erogenous zones."

Ruby nodded sharply. "Which is, um. Fine."

"You do know what the—"

_ "Yes I know what an erogenous zone is!" _

Weiss snickered, but didn't comment further. "Kissing is also alright with me, in moderation. We shouldn't start making out sloppily in the halls, but brief pecks in appropriate scenarios are fine. Is that alright with you as well?"

"Yup. I think we're on the same level with that one."

"Good." Weiss paused, considering her words for this next part. "Another question which is maybe out of our scope for today… how do you feel about things we do in  _ private?" _

Ruby's breath hitched. She understood the implication just fine then. 

She took her time answering. "I think… that's gonna have to depend on a lot of things."

Weiss nodded, trying not to feel disappointed. "Such as?"

"Welllllll, I honestly don't know anything about how to… anything."

Weiss smiled, craning her neck to look at Ruby's wide, earnest eyes. "That's alright. I may know some of the theory, but I'm also...  _ unpracticed _ ." She felt a blush coming on, and for once didn't try and hide it. "We can learn together."

Ruby flushed, a happy smile breaking out across her face. She kissed Weiss lightly on the forehead.

"We can discuss that another time," Weiss said, frowning as she thought about the next question. "A more immediate problem though; how do you feel about public displays of affection  _ tonight. _ "

"Uhhh what do you mean?"

"I mean…" Weiss swallowed, unsure how to put this delicately. "In Yang's presence."

"Oh," Ruby said. "Um. I think it'll be fine? Mostly. I'll let you know if it's not."

"Will you be able to do that?" Weiss noticed Ruby's confused look, and clarified. "I mean, will you be able to clearly communicate that to me in the heat of the moment, with others around?"

"I'll text you?"

Weiss smiled. "That works some of the time, but maybe a—" she smirked, eyes flicking to Ruby's face to look for a reaction "— _ safeword  _ would be more effective."

Ruby's eyes widened sharply.

Weiss smirked.  _ So she  _ **_does_ ** _ know what that means. Interesting, but let's worry about that another time. _ "Let's go with something covert," she continued. She raised one hand, crossing her index and middle fingers. "How's this? It's not a word, but it's subtle enough that most people will miss it if they don't know what to look for."

Ruby nodded. "That should work. Jab me in the ribs or step on my toes if I don't notice it the first time."

Weiss's mouth quirked up. "Good idea. You may do the same to me."

They trailed off, not sure what to talk about next. Weiss found herself focusing on the way Ruby's chest rose and fell with her breathing. It was unsurprisingly quick, even when the girl was at rest, but it also put Weiss in contact with some surprisingly  _ soft  _ places.

_Is it okay to think about that sort of thing now?_ _How do I even ask that kind of question? Am I being facile in thinking of these things? Is it normal to feel this way, or is it petty to be concerned with Ruby's physical attractiveness at this point?_

"Weiss? You ok?"

Weiss sat up, turning and fixing Ruby with an even look. Taking her in.  _ Really  _ taking her in.

Ruby Rose. 17 years old. Weiss's first meaningful romantic relationship, ever. Maybe her first really, close friend since childhood. A person who had saved her life time and time again. Who had stood back to back with her against the horrors of the world. Had cradled her in her arms when she was injured and stood for her when she was unable to fight back.

She seemed so much smaller than she was, dressed in violent reds and blacks, colors which should have been dark and threatening, but which on her somehow seemed vibrant and whimsical. An idealist, a born huntress. Charismatic beyond her years, with a brilliantly creative spirit and a strange, elusive, often inexplicable spark of wisdom.

She talked about wanting to be a hero like those in books. Weiss wondered if she'd ever realize that she already was one.

"I really do love you," Weiss said, letting a smile break out on her face.

Ruby giggled nervously. "Oh, cool. 'Cause you were staring at me for a really long time and I thought you were mad or something."

"Dolt." Weiss laughed. "Alright, I think that's enough. I have some reading I'd like to do, and then I'm going to get ready." She paused, and took a gamble, shooting Ruby her best attempt at a lascivious wink _. _ "I'll see you tonight,  _ darling. _ "

Ruby started cackling. "What was  _ that?  _ Were you—did you just—"

Weiss glared at her, but she couldn't hold the venom. She dropped the act, leaning in and pecked this lovely, absurd creature on the lips. "I'll see you tonight," she repeated, looking deep into those eyes as she traced a finger up Ruby's throat to her jaw.

"N-no fair…" Ruby swallowed as Weiss pulled away, her cheeks hot and her eyes sparkling. "Love you too, Weiss."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually have a backlog! By accident, since the date was originally going to be two super long chapters which I would probably have taken another month to finish editing. Breaking it up has made things much more manageable, so I'm gonna try and start posting two (shorter) chapters each month. 
> 
> Hopefully I'll be gradually working up my production speed as I get the hang of this thing.
> 
> Thanks to Sgt. Chrysalis for the beta read! You're saving my life friendo.


	6. Chapter 6

**RWBY Groupchat**

**12:03 PM**

**WS: Point of order, what are we actually going to *do* for this date?**  
**GunscytheGirl: 😱**  
**GunscytheGirl: ohnowhatdoido**  
**ShroudedCat19: I can help.**  
**BigYang: yeah blake has like all the date ideas ever**  
**BigYang: shes a romance exxxpert 😉**  
**ShroundedCat19: Yang.**  
**BigYang: ok ill be good**  
**ShroudedCat19: So, to start with, did you two have anything in mind?**  
**GunscytheGirl: uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…**  
**GunscytheGirl: look this isn't a thing i thought i'd ever need to know!!!**  
**GunscytheGirl: weiss help?**  
**WS: I have a few ideas but I'm not confident they would be enjoyable for all parties. I defer to your…**  
**WS: "Exxxperience."**  
**BigYang: 😲**  
**ShroudedCat19: -__-**  
**GunscytheGirl: (this a joke about how blake reads a ton of porn right?)**  
**ShroudedCat19: O__O**  
**BigYang: yup**  
**WS: Yes. It is.**  
**WS: Blake, you were saying?**  
**ShroudedCat19: …Right.**  
**ShroudedCat19: So, I can give you some ideas, but ultimately it's going to be up to you.**  
**ShroudedCat19: This is your first date. You two should be the ones who ultimately decide the plan.**  
**ShroudedCat19: That said, some ideas:**  
**GunscytheGirl: ok!**  
**WS: Thank you.**  
**ShroudedCat19:**

  * **Go to a book store.**



**BigYang: nerd**  
**ShroudedCat19: Shush.**  
**BigYang: luv u**  
**ShroudedCat19: I know.**  
**ShroudedCat19:**

  * **Go to a fancy restaurant one or both of you have wanted to try.**


  * **Go to a less fancy restaurant that one of you knows well and thinks the other would like.**


  * **Go get ice cream.**



**GunscytheGirl: OwO**  
**WS: Maybe after something else. Next?**  
**ShroudedCat19:**

  * **Go to a zoo or aquarium.**


  * **Go on an afternoon walk/picnic in the park.**


  * **Go to an art museum.**


  * **(Go to a natural history museum since we're huntresses.)**



**GunscytheGirl: oooooh yeah i like this one!**  
**BigYang: you get that wanting to look at grimm all day makes you weird right rubes**  
**GunscytheGirl: hey, i am what i am.**  
**ShroudedCat19:**

  * **Go clothes shopping and have a miniature runway show for each other.**



**WS: In favor.**  
**ShroudedCat19:**

  * **(Also, weapon parts/dust shopping since we're huntresses.)**



**GunscytheGirl: in favor.**  
**ShroudedCat19:**

  * **Go to the pool/ocean (as applicable).**



**GunscytheGirl: i don't have a swimsuit.**  
**BigYang: we can fix that later**  
**WS: …**  
**WS: Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm.**  
**GunscytheGirl: weiss? ;////;**  
**WS: Nothing.**  
**ShroudedCat19:**

  * **Go to the arcade.**


  * **(Or, shooting range.)**



**GunscytheGirl: 😃**  
**BigYang: 😄**  
**WS: What a surprise.**  
**ShroudedCat19: And lastly,**

  * **Stay at home and watch a boring movie while cuddling on the couch.**



**ShroudedCat19: (Big personal fave tbh.)**  
**ShroudedCat19: Anyway that's what I got for now.**  
**WS: Thank you, Blake.**  
**GunscytheGirl: that's a lot of ideas**  
**BigYang: *exxxpert***  
**ShroudedCat19: Look, I read a lot of romance novels okay. We all know this, it's not news.**  
**BigYang: "romance"**  
**WS: "Romance" novels.**  
**GunscytheGirl: "rom woah did we all just go for the same joke???**  
**ShroudedCat19: Okay that *is* kinda funny.**  
**GunscytheGirl: wait why a *boring* movie wouldn't you want to watch something fun?**  
**WS: I suspect the movie isn't really the *entertainment* in that scenario.**  
**GunscytheGirl: what does that meaohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ok. ;///;**  
**BigYang: love you sis**  
**BigYang: anyway tho theres a couple blake forgot**  
**BigYang:**

  * **go dancing at the cluuuuuuuub**


  * **long late-night motorcycle rides**


  * **sparring match**



**ShroudedCat19: You're the only one with a motorcycle.**  
**BigYang: ruby knows how to drive it**  
**GunscytheGirl: LIKE BARELY!?!?!?**  
**GunscytheGirl: anyway I don't think we can fit 4 people on bumblebee.**  
**WS: How is a sparring match a date?**  
**ShroudedCat19: *sighs***  
**BigYang: no weapons, no semblance, auras off, grapples only**  
**GunscytheGirl: omg yang no**  
**BigYang: yang yes**  
**WS: Well, *that's* out.**  
**WS: At least… for today. 😉**  
**BigYang: 😲**  
**WS: My votes are**

  * **Go to a fancy restaurant one or both of you have wanted to try.**


  * **Go on an afternoon walk/picnic in the park.**


  * **Go to an art museum.**


  * **(Go to a natural history museum since we're huntresses.)**


  * **Go clothes shopping and have a miniature runway show for each other.**


  * **Go dancing at the club.**



**BigYang: you just**  
**BigYang: you just corrected my formatting**  
**BigYang: how dare you**  
**WS: My sincerest apologies. 🙄**  
**BigYang: also why that last one**  
**WS: I haven't been to an informal dance before. It seems like it might be fun.**  
**BigYang: huh. okay**  
**GunscytheGirl: My votes!**

  * **Go get ice cream.**


  * **Go to a zoo or aquarium.**


  * **Go on an afternoon walk/picnic in the park.**


  * **Go to an art museum.**


  * **(Go to a natural history museum since we're huntresses.)**


  * **(Also, weapon parts/dust shopping since we're huntresses.)**


  * **Go to the arcade.**


  * **(Or, shooting range.)**


  * **Stay at home and watch a boring movie while cuddling on the couch.**



**WS: Parks and museums win both our votes.**  
**BigYang: not even one suggestion from me**  
**BigYang: the betrayal**  
**GunscytheGirl: 🔪!!!!!**  
**ShroudedCat19: Uh, Ruby? I know I put the movie thing on there but it really is something that's better suited for two people.**  
**GunscytheGirl: oh**  
**GunscytheGirl: well i mean we don't have to canoodle i was just thinking, y'know.**  
**GunscytheGirl: cuddle pile?**  
**ShroudedCat19: ajsghw/fls**  
**BigYang: uh blake you ok**  
**ShroudedCat19: yes just dropped my scroll I'm fine.**  
**WS: 🤔**  
**BigYang: actually**  
**BigYang: the vale art museum and the vale natural history museum are the same building**  
**BigYang: and theyre three blocks from the park**  
**BigYang: it's a win-win-win**  
**WS: You don't object? None of those things sound particularly like your cup of tea.**  
**BigYang: weiss**  
**BigYang: *weiss***  
**BigYang: okay now we have to go to the art museum**  
**GunscytheGirl: i guess it's settled then! let's meet at the ferry pad around 2?**  
**WS: That sounds good!**  
**BigYang: 👍**  
**GunscytheGirl: blake?**  
**ShroudedCat19: Yup! See you then.**

* * *

**Black CFVY groupchat**

**12:49 PM**

**ShroudedCat19: guys help**  
**CameraShy: Hello Blake?**  
**CaffeineQueen: what's wrong.**  
**BigBoyCandyKing: What do you need?**  
**ShroudedCat19: Okay wait. I get it, but why is Yatsu named… that.**  
**CaffeineQueen: lost a bet.**  
**FoxyWoxy: Wasn't the only one**  
**ShroudedCat: My condolences.**  
**CaffeineQueen: what's *wrong* Blake?**  
**ShroudedCat19: Okay so uh**  
**ShroudedCat19: Remember that thing that I told you guys about, after Yang fell asleep at that last sleepover?**  
**ShroudedCat19: The situation has…  become more complicated.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Proper chapter coming in a little bit! Just doing last minute edits!


	7. Chapter 7

Ruby stared at the girl in the mirror.

She was short, kinda pale, with an uneven haircut and an expression which was coming down from the edge of panic and now trudging slowly down the hill towards despair. She was also wearing a dress.

Not a good wholesome combat dress, no, a  _ dress _ dress. The kind without ammunition pouches or reinforced padding. The kind with no pockets at all, and a tightish, off-the-shoulders high-neck shape that hugged Ruby's chest a bit more than she was used to, plainish gray with red accents that were almost familiar enough to feel normal but not  _ quite _ . 

Yang walked into the bathroom, clapping hands on her shoulders. "You look great, Rubes!" She grinned, pressing her chin into the top of her sister's head. "Ooooo I'm so proud of youuuuu!"

Ruby flailed to throw her off, giggling for a moment before returning her attention to the girl—girls, now—in the mirror. 

She forced a smile. She didn't look  _ terrible,  _ just… average. "Are you sure this is pretty enough?"

Yang sighed, cocking her hips to lean against the countertop. She was wearing a leather jacket over a yellow dress which barely reached her knees and was  _ way  _ tighter than Ruby would have been comfortable in. It worked on Yang of course, because  _ everything _ seemed to work on Yang.

"Ruby, it's _fine,_ " she said. "You look _good._ Trust me, Weiss is gonna be _blown away._ Besides, we're going to a _museum._ The fancy is mostly optional."

"Okay but Weiss is like the fanciest person in the world!" Ruby bowed her head under the terrible weight of the problem. "You  _ know  _ she's gonna be dressed like a faerie-tale princess anyway! And I'm just gonna look like normal-knees Ruby."

Yang, for her part, wasn't impressed. "Yeah, and I'm sure she's gonna wear some ridiculously gorgeous dress and she's gonna be absurdly pretty and we're all gonna be gobsmacked, you especially. But she's still  _ Weiss.  _ She likes  _ you _ , Ruby—normal knees and all—and she's not gonna be mad that you didn't materialize a fancy date outfit out of thin air in the four hours we've been planning this. Besides, you're  _ always _ cute as hell, even if you're not always good at believing it."

"Okay…" Ruby murmured. She pried her eyes away from the mirror, shooting Yang a grateful smile. "Thanks, sis."

"Aww, come here you!" Yang opened her arms, and Ruby fell into them, returning the hug with enough strength to make Yang's aura flare up. They stayed that way for a while, until Yang slowly broke the embrace.

Ruby pulled away as well. Something felt… off about the way Yang wasn't quite looking at her. "Yang?"

Yang sighed, staring at herself in the mirror for a long moment. "I'm probably just being dumb, but… you're sure you're up to this, right?"

_ Whaaat? _ Ruby tilted her head. "Um. Yes? I know it's been _ less than a day,  _ but—"

Yang shook her head sharply, cutting off Ruby's assurance. "But you're already giving each other hickeys, and trading 'I love you's, and snuggling up to each other in public." Yang put a hand to her face. "Don't get me wrong; I'm  _ proud  _ of you, and the two of you are tooth-rotting adorable together, but I wanna make sure this pace is good for you.  _ And  _ for Weiss."

"We  _ are  _ moving kinda fast," Ruby acquiesced. She hopped up onto the edge of the sink, facing Yang. "But that's because we're already comfortable with each other. Weiss isn't gonna hurt me on purpose, and I'm gonna do my best not to hurt her. There's still a lot of stuff we haven't talked about, sure, but there's still a lot we have. We  _ talked  _ about kissing. About—" her cheeks warmed up "— _ h-hickeys. _ It didn't come out of nowhere."

Yang shot her smirk, but she couldn't manage to follow it up with a taunt. "Thanks, Rubes. I trust you, just… be careful?"

"Will do!" Ruby saluted promptly, only cracking a smile once Yang did.

"At ease." Yang rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I'll stay out of your love life from now on."

Ruby's thoughts spun as the conversation from last night came back to her. "Well… you don't have to stay out of it  _ completely _ ."

"…uh huh?" Yang gave her a quizzical look.

"I mean, uh," Ruby glanced away, realizing that this was maybe a more complicated and treacherous conversation than she was ready to handle right now. "I  _ am  _ new at this," she said, seizing on an out. "And you're…  _ less new  _ at this, so if you have, I dunno, advice, quick tips on how to…  _ do  _ stuff, that'd be cool."  _ Smooth, Ruby. _

"Ooookay." Yang's eyebrow stayed raised, but she didn't freak out which was probably— "Are you… asking me for sex pointers?"

"OH GOD NO." Ruby threw up her hands. "Ew ew ew  _ not  _ what I meant."

"Great, because… that would probably be weird." Yang pondered the issue for a beat. " _ Would  _ that be weird?"

Ruby took a second to think it over, and was about to answer when the whole ramifications of the situation hit her all at once. The maw of the void opened up in front of her, and for an instant, Ruby saw the whole horrifying realm of possibility.

_ Let's say everything works out. Let's say Weiss gets together with Yang. And Blake. Heck, let's say  _ **_I_ ** _ end up kissing Blake. That's… a really really fun little idea. It also means that I'd be kissing two people who also kiss my sister. I…  _ **_think_ ** _ I'm okay with that. _

_ But things are soooooo much more complicated than that. What if I want to kiss Blake while Yang is in the room? What if we both want to kiss Weiss at the same time? _

_ What about everything  _ **_beyond kissing?_ **

Ruby caught her breath and shook her head violently.  _ Nope nope nope okay  _ **_way_ ** _ too early to be worrying about that right now.  _ She blinked, realizing that Yang was staring at her in concern. "Uh, what was the question?"

Yang smiled sardonically. "Well,  _ you  _ short-circuited when I asked, so I guess that's the answer."

Ruby sighed, recalling the earlier conversation and deciding that today was complicated enough as it was. "Well…" she said, taking one last glance at the girl in the mirror. She turned sideways, then further, checking how the dress framed her back. "I guess this is fine." She shot Yang a big friendly smile, and gave her a big friendly hug. "Thanks for all the help, sis."

"Any time Rubes." Yang ruffled her hair. "So anyway, you know what time it is now?" 

Ruby looked up at her, fear dawning in her heart.

Yang grinned, whipping a makeup kit out of her jacket.

"YANG NO."

"Yang _ yes. _ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a short update, paired with the other short update from yesterday. I've got two more chapters in the works, should have one up by the end of the month! Still working out my workflow.
> 
> Friendly reminder that I'm *not* into enabler and have no intentions of going that route.


	8. Chapter 8

The evening was a mild one, with clouds scattered lightly across the sky and a breeze that smelled of earth and sea foam brushing in across Beacon's long front path. Blake's ears twitched at the sounds of other students walking past. Mostly groups of friends, or couples; seeking the same things Blake would soon be.

It was still a little strange to think that she was one of them. A student attending Beacon Academy, a young adult traveling to the City of Vale to socialize and make merry. A few short years ago she'd been a teenager living in the wilderness, sleeping in tents packed tight with her comrades, planning robberies, sabotage, hijackings. Murders, though even in the White Fang she'd been too young to directly participate in those.

She slumped, letting the bench take her weight. She'd come out here to clear her head, but now she was just _thinking about society_ again. Still, easier than confronting the more immediate problem.

Her scroll buzzed. She looked at it compulsively.

 

**Black CFVY Groupchat**

**1:20 PM**

**CaffeineQueen: i still vote you should just tell them.**

 

Blake growled in the back of her throat.

 

**ShroudedCat19: No. I'm not wrecking Weiss and Ruby's first date because I can't keep it in my pants.**

 

She collapsed the scroll and put it in her pocket. It immediately buzzed again.

 

**CameraShy: That doesn't seem like what's happening though?** **  
****FoxyWoxy: You're catastrophizing dude** **  
** **FoxyWoxy: Take a breath**

 

She resisted the urge to growl. _They're right and I know it._ She set her scroll down, sat up straight, and closed her eyes. A breath flowed into her lungs, filling her with the warmth of the spring air. She held it for one… two… three… four… five seconds… and when she let it go the tension in her shoulders began to crumble like old stone.

 

**ShroudedCat19: I know. I'm okay.** **  
** **ShroudedCat19: I think I'm just not ready to do that right now. It's been really nice dating Yang. She's been really good to me, and I don't want to jeopardize that. Plus, I want Ruby and Weiss to have time to work out the dynamics of their own relationship before making things more complicated.**

 

She sighed, closing her eyes. The scroll buzzed in her hand.

 

**BigBoyCandyKing: That's fine, but you should consider your own feelings as well. You described them as painfully intense, and I do not think it is fair to yourself to suffer them in silence. Will they go away if you do nothing?** **  
****CameraShy: Yeah. I think it'd be a good idea to tell Yang at least? It seems like you're afraid of her reactions right now, and that's very unhealthy!** **  
** **CameraShy: Having her as a confidante would probably make all of this easier, probably?**

 

Tension returned to Blake's neck at the idea. She thought about red eyes… then realized that it wasn't red she was seeing, but blue.

Another deep breath flowed into her… paused… then out. _Yang isn't Adam. She won't react the way he would._

She focused again, thinking about her girlfriend, and smiled as a familiar warmth built up in her chest. Yang was smart, kind…  as bright and warm as the sun, but gentle too, when she needed to be. Blake thought of all fragile moments they'd shared, the way Yang always checked to see if she was doing alright, so often that Blake had teased her for it even while picking up the habit herself.

It was something Adam never did, except in passing, after the fact.

And there was the way Yang talked about things, the way she helped Blake establish boundaries when they realized she needed them, instead of taking advantage of their absence. The way she listened to Blake try and explain the weirdness in her head, the way she always tried to understand even when it it was difficult, even when it turned out to be impossible. The way that, when something really did go wrong and one of them got hurt, she apologized and tried to make things better.

But then… there was the way her smile strained, on the rare occasions when Blake was late, or had to cancel their plans. The conversations they'd had about Yang's mothers, the muffled bitterness there. _Yang knows what it's like to be left behind. She's afraid of it._

_Do these feelings mean I want to leave her behind?_

Blake didn't have the answer.

 

**ShroudedCat19: I need to figure out what I want.** **  
****ShroudedCat19: But once I do… I'll tell Yang. I promise.** **  
****FoxyWoxy: That's probably good enough for now** **  
****FoxyWoxy: It's getting close to time isn't it** **  
** **ShroudedCat19: Yup.**

 

Blake smiled, typing out one last message.

 

**ShroudedCat19: Thanks for the talk guys. I really appreciate it.** **  
****CameraShy: Of course! Take care of yourself Blake!** **  
** **CaffeineQueen: have fun. ;)**

 

She closed her scroll, and stood. It was almost two, and Weiss at least was very particular about timing. She glanced back at the school for just a moment, before turning to walk out to the airship dock.

She was ready for this. Tonight would be fun, a romantic evening with her girlfriend and a celebration of two of her closest friends' newest happiness. Plus, she'd never been to the museum in Vale. She'd never actually been to _any_ museum as far as she could remember, only read about them in books. It was a slightly embarrassing way to have come up with the idea, but that was true of half of her suggestions anyway. She'd only been dating Yang for a few months after all, and somehow she didn't think Weiss would consider raiding a Schnee Dust Company warehouse a particularly romantic outing.

She'd be fine. She'd be _cool._

Then she spotted Weiss, and suddenly Blake Belladonna was neither fine nor cool.

It felt like time churned down to make the moment last twice as long, like the strangers passing by had stopped existing, along with the ground under Blake's feet.

Weiss _glowed_. The low sunlight threw her into silhouette, making a blazing halo of her hair, setting her ruby-red lipstick faintly glittering, but that was just the start. Her dress seemed to foreshadow the night sky to come, a shimmering violet that wasn't quite black, glittering with scattered points that shined like jewels. The pattern flowed with the wind, all along her body from the chest it hugged tight to the toned arms it left free, the short skirt giving way to dark leggings that glittered with a similar pattern. The ensemble must have cost a fortune, but more than that…

The amount of genuine happiness in Weiss's smile seemed outright alien.

* * *

 Weiss's breath was caught in her throat and it refused to leave.

She'd had a lot of expectations. Blake Belladonna in a suit had _not_ been one of them.

Not even just a suit—a _tailored_ suit, apparently, and in a style Weiss had never seen before. That alone was quite a shock—although the overall foundation was a fairly standard black, thin gold lace wound along the edges in an intricate design. It almost looked like writing in a foreign language, scrawled  around the lapels and down the arms of a narrow-shouldered tailcoat. The pattern continued down the sides of flared trousers, ending at shiny black shoes. A startling purple shirt and vest and a dapper white tie completed the look.

It all fit Blake… rather astoundingly well. Frankly Weiss felt a little upstaged. And quite smitten, though she did her best to hide it.

_Still,_ a nefarious little voice whispered in her ear, _a little friendly flirting can't hurt._

"Well, _hello,"_ she said, with a flutter of her eyelashes and a salacious smirk. "You certainly look _elegant_ this evening."

* * *

 Blake did her best to hide the smile she wanted to wear. She'd been a bit nervous about the suit at first. This was the first time she'd tried such a masculine look in… a long time, and she hadn't been quite sure if it would give the impression she actually wanted. Weiss's praise dusted all that worry away, replacing it with something warm and… troublesome.

"Thanks," Blake said. "You look" _astonishingly beautiful_ "good, too."

Weiss's eyebrow rose, but then a smile grew beneath it. "Thank you," she said with surprising  sincerity. Blake looked away, sure the blush she'd seen had been wishful thinking. Deeply _inappropriate_ wishful thinking.

_Get it together._ **_Weiss_ ** _isn't your date, and_ **_You_ ** _._ **_Aren't_ ** _._ **_Hers_ ** _._ Though, speaking of which— "Where are Ruby and Yang?"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Doing something foolish, I expect. The airship leaves in fifteen minutes, they'd _better_ not—"

"We're here!"

The two of them turned at the sound of Ruby's voice as she ran up to meet them.

Once again, Blake found herself in in a moment of slurred time, in which she found herself acknowledging several facts about Ruby:

One: she was _cute_ in that dress. It was simple, but it still matched their leader perfectly, from the corset-style lacing up the sides and the black fringe along the hem to the way the color perfectly set off Ruby's eyes. It was also doing a surprisingly good job emphasizing… curves Blake hadn't realized Ruby possessed. Plus muscle tone Blake had known about but hadn't really _appreciated_ until now.

Two: the way her face lit up when she looked at Weiss was _adorable,_ but right now her gaze was on Blake, and the look in Ruby’s eyes threatened to stop her heart.

And three: bringing Blake screeching back into the flow of the rational universe, she appeared to be _wearing_ _makeup!?_

"Oh my god." Ruby flashed over in a burst of petals which forced Blake to take a sharp step back. "Oh my god hi Blake you look SO COOL!"

Blake smiled frantically, ears flattening as her composure went. "Um, thank you! You look… very nice also!"

Ruby absolutely _beamed_ at the confused compliment, further threatening Blake's cardiac health. Then she flashed over to Weiss, thankfully not noticing the intense heat that'd just rushed across Blake's face. _"ARGH! WEISS YOU LOOK SO PRETTY! Yaaaang~_ I told you she'd look like a faerie-tale princess!"

"Holy _shit_ ," Yang said, joining them just behind Ruby. "Well, I never said you were wrong." She walked up to link arm in arm with Blake's. "And then there's _you._ "

Blake finally managed to catch her breath. She gratefully tore her eyes away from the adorable pair and set her sights on a more familiar target. Yang was stunning on a bad day, and today was _not a bad day._ A brown leather bomber jacket, unbuttoned over a _very tight_ yellow dress which really wasn't leaving much to the imagination. Blake's gaze traveled up and down Yang's body, this time without the slightest hint of guilt. _This_ she was allowed, and _this_ she would take.

"Like what you see?" Yang teased.

Blake smirked at her, leaning in for a quick kiss. "You look ready to destroy some lives."

"Oh sure, says the person wearing _that._ " Yang mirrored Blake in scanning her partner's body. "Damn. D. A. M. N., Blake. I knew that suit was going to look good on you, but uh… your old buddy Umbrie really knows their stuff, huh?"

Blake put her hands on her hips, shifting the tailcoat to give a better view of the way the shirt beneath was fitted, admiring the way Yang's cheeks flushed in appreciation. "That they do. Enjoying the view?"

"You could say that."

She laughed as Yang pulling her into a one armed hug. leaning happily into Yang's side. _Soft, warm girlfriend makes everything better._

"Excited for tonight?" Yang asked, ruffling her fingers through Blake's hair.

"Obviously," Blake laughed.

Her eyes caught something, and she reached out to pluck a drifting rose petal out of the air. She turned it between her fingers, and then her focus passed it, settling where Ruby and Weiss were talking. Her smile faded a little, as she felt the pang return.

_I'm so greedy._

She noticed Yang's silence, and deflected with a question: "How _did_ you get Ruby to wear makeup?"

"Hey, I can be pretty convincing when I want to be." Yang met Blake's unconvinced stare for a few seconds before caving. "Okay, so she didn't want to until I told her about lipstick."

Blake's lips twitched up. "She's _really_ into leaving marks, huh?"

Yang's face took on a complication expression. "Yeah… I dunno how to feel about knowing that. Am I disgusted that I know about my little sister's kinks, or proud that she's finding what she likes and enjoying it with a reciprocative partner?" She shook her head. "Sisterhood is weird."

They watched as Ruby said something to Weiss, whose face lit up with mortification. Before she could protest, Ruby scooped her up into a princess carry. Weiss protested this, but she couldn't stop smiling either.

"Awwwwww!" Yang sighed happily. "Okay, fuck it, I'm proud of her. I mean look at that! Look at how cute those two are. Holy hell."

Blake averted her eyes sharply. "Y-yeah."

Yang squeezed her tight.

"There's a lot of bad in the world," Yang said.

"Um, what are you— "

"Shh I'm monologuing." Yang shot a wink at her. "I just mean… we're huntresses, right? We've signed up for a life of constant, bloody battle to defend scraps of light in an ocean of dark." Her hand tightened slightly, and Blake understood a little, putting her arm around Yang's back as well.

Blake looked at the other two girls. Weiss had gotten Ruby to put her down, and was now waving at them frantically, pointing to her watchless wrist and then to the airship resting on the pad. Blake realized she hadn't even noticed it land, but she hardly paid that any attention regardless.

Even now, Weiss had Ruby's hand clasped tight with hers.

Blake smiled, closing her eyes as they started to walk towards their ride into Vale. "You're gonna say something cheesy like, 'It's stuff like this that makes it all worthwhile,' right?"

"Oh come on!" Yang threw her hands up in mock offense. "I had a whole metaphor going! It was gonna be about light and dark and love and you were gonna think it was really cool and be impressed by my compositional skills."

"Sometimes telling is better than showing," Blake said simply.

Yang huffed. "You just don't get the intricacies of my _yanguage_ . It's a refined _tongue_ , you know. Very _dextrous._ "

Blake laughed, shooting Yang a smirk with lidded eyes as they rejoined Ruby and Weiss. "Oh really? I'll bet we have a lot to teach each other actually. We can trade _linguistics_ lessons later."

" _Grooooooss_ ," Ruby moaned, but her smile stayed. "You two are _grooooooooooooss."_

"Y'know you and Weiss are going to be just as bad in like a _week,"_ Yang teased, delivering a surprise noogie before a Ruby managed to shake her off with a laugh.

_"Excuse_ me!" Weiss protested. "I would never stoop to such…   _ribaldry_."

Yang feigned shock and horror, along with a posh accent. "Oh gadzooks! Hath I besmirched thine honor, _majesty?_ How _ever_ should mine lowly self redress this terrible slight upon thine station?"

Weiss regarded her levelly, before a small smirk cracked the mask at the corner. "Hm. Obeisance suits you."

Ruby and Blake both blinked in confusion as Yang's ears went red.

"But enough," Weiss said, before a counterattack could even be considered. "The ship is leaving, and the museum closes at five thirty. We can continue our dialogue in a moment."

She marched off, and they followed her across the boarding ramp. Meanwhile, Blake pulled out her scroll.

She searched "obeisance."

Her ears turned red to match her girlfriend's.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wooo! This took a while but it was pretty fun. I guess this is the first part of the actual date. Or the next chapter is.
> 
> Thanks for reading! And double thanks to Sgt Chrysalis again for the beta! You're saving my life friend.
> 
> (Also, small retcon but this is now Saturday night instead of Sunday, because that makes any kind of sense at all. As such, chapter one was Friday night. This change affects literally nothing else.)


	9. Chapter 9

The city of Vale was too big for Ruby.

She didn't go often, so maybe that's all it was— a lack of familiarity, coupled with the usual anxieties around strangers she didn't need to know. Or, maybe it was just the sheer size of the buildings, the way they seemed to lean in to watch, like dentists about to poke her teeth.

Maybe it was just the crowds; two o'clock on a Saturday wasn't exactly the most bustling time, but it still felt tight to a girl from Patch. Yang told her once that six million people lived in the city of Vale. It was an impossibly big number, but Ruby could kind of feel it as she walked the street. Her eyes lingered on faces in the crowds, unique people who she'd never know. She could walk this city for years and never see them again.

It was a bit sad, but it was also kind of exciting! Walking these streets, she felt like a spark of electricity in a huge computer, or like a drop of blood in the veins of some colossal creature, big and complicated and strange and beautiful.

Someday Ruby would defend this place, put her life on the line for it.

But for now she was just a normal girl with normal knees, having a good time with the three most important people in her life.

_Speaking of…_

"So for our itinerary…" Weiss said, shattering her way into the moment with authority. "We should probably leave the museum around six and have dinner somewhere nearby." She scrolled through a list of restaurants absentmindedly as she talked and walked, her brows pinched in quiet concentration, warding off the world around her. It was _very cute,_ and Ruby couldn't resist.

She casually quickened her pace until she was just behind Weiss, and gave her a little poke in the ribs.

Weiss let out an _"eep"_ and turned to face Ruby in red-cheeked outrage. _"Ruby!"_

Ruby grinned, bouncing back out of the range of retaliation. "Sorry Weiss! You're just too cute to leave alone."

Weiss huffed, blushing sharply as she returned her focus to her list. "I am _trying_ to make sure we know what we're _doing,_ thank you very much!"

"Did you have somewhere in mind?" Blake asked, earning a grateful grumble from Weiss. She and Yang were walking side-by-side.

"Y'know…" Yang shot them a grin. "There's always Glitter's."

The name rang a happy old bell in Ruby's head. "Ooooooooh, I haven't been to Glitter's in _so_ long!"

"Our first time out as a couple and you want _diner food?_ " Weiss rolled her eyes, though an indulgent smile gave her away. "Really?"

Ruby played up the pout, puppy dog eyes and all. "But Weiss, it's my _culture!"_

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Burgers are an Atlesian invention, Ruby."

"Aww but they're _so good."_

"And cheap," Blake murmured appreciatively, perusing the menu on her scroll. She looked up, seeming a little embarrassed at her own words. "…No objections here."

Yang offered Weiss a shrug. "I think it should ultimately be up to you and Rubes; it's _your_ first date. I just don't want to spend all night eating fancy bullshit that costs eight times what it's worth."

Weiss pinched her nose in actual offense. "I don't want _that_ either! Honestly, I can't believe you think so little of me. After all this time!"

"Okay but…" Blake raised a skeptical eyebrow. "You… _do_ remember the last time we let you pick the restaurant, right?"

Yang cleared her throat sharply, affecting a bad Atlesian accent. "Four thousand and twenty-six lien for the Alsius Ram Tenderloin, seven thousand, two hundred and seventeen lien for the Argus Salmon Platter…"

Weiss's cheeks flared. "Well, I _told_ you I didn't expect any of you to pay for it…" she muttered. Her eyes shifted to Ruby and softened to a smile. "You shouldn't worry though; even if I was in the mood for something extravagant, I'm aware that my tastes are a bit… rarified, compared to some."

 _Oh heck no!_ Ruby bristled at the implication. "Hey! I can be fancy! I'm super duper fancy when I wanna be!"

"Ruby, no." Weiss reached out and patted her lightly on the top of her head, (which felt quite nice, Ruby noted for later). "You are many lovely things but a gourmand is not one of them."

Yang coughed lightly. " _Technically_ , she is a pretty big eater," she said. She then pointedly pressed her scroll into Blake's hand for some reason.

Weiss shook her head. "You're thinking of  'glutton,' a gourmand is—"

" _Actually_ , both definitions are valid," Blake looked up from Yang's scroll with an impressed face. "And apparently your definition is _less_ common, Weiss."

"That's—" Weiss stared at Yang in astonishment which soon cooled into an odd mix of fascination and indignation. "You did that on _purpose._ How…?"

In the short space after Weiss finished speaking, as Yang opened her dumb mouth, Ruby felt a prickle up the back of her neck. Call it the will of the universe or just Sister's Intuition, she just  _knew_ she was the only one who could stop what was to come. It was fate… it was destiny…

"Hey, maintaining wordplay skills like mine requires a hefty appetite for vocabulary." Yang's smile warmed from innocent to shit-eating in record time. _"You_ just bit off more than you could chew."

…And it was already too late. Ruby groaned and bowed her head. The door was open; there was no stopping it now.

Still, there was hope! Blake stared down the monster in their midst, one last valiant knight in shining black-and-purple armor, holding fast against the many-coiled dragon. "Yang, I _will_ break up with you if you spend the whole night making food puns."

A ray of hope! "Alright, alright," Yang held up her hands in surrender. For a beautiful instant, it seemed the beast had been tamed. "I know my sense of humor is an _acquired taste."_

And that was it. The war was lost. Ruby sighed, ready to accept the puns to come.

But fate is a fickle thing, and defeat is not always what it seems!

Weiss  _chuckled._

She shook her head, pressed her fingers into the bridge of her nose as her her voice took on a twist that was half sardonic half sultry. "Oh I will _savor_ our next sparring session," she purred, eyes locking with Yang's. "I promise you'll get your _just desserts._ "

Ruby's jaw dropped, too stunned to continue her mental narrative. _Wait, is she co-opting Yang's punderstorm to flirt with her? That's brilliant! Weiss, I'm so proud of you!!!_ A thought stopped her, and she glanced at Blake. Their eyes met. _…Aaaaaaand Blake is **right there.**_

Oblivious to the above, Yang's grin just got even bigger and shittier. "That a promise, Snowflake?" she shot Weiss a wink. "I know I'm a glutton for punishment but that is a _tasty_ offer coming from a _delectable_ little morsel like yourself."

 _Yang's flirting back! This **is** flirting, right? _Ruby's eyes kept flicking to Blake, but she didn't seem upset. Surprised, certainly, but not bothered. Their eyes kept meeting, and Ruby realized that Blake was probably having the same pattern of thoughts.

A smile fluttered across the younger girl's face. _Aww, she's checking up on me._

"A-are you sure your palate can take it?" Weiss asked with almost perfect nonchalance, even as a blush crept up her ears. "I've been told I can be quite _spicy_."

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Yang said, with the casual grace of a lit match arcing out over a sea of oil. She cracked her neck to emphasize the impact. "I always did like eating out, and I'll bet  _your_ flavor would dance nicely on my tongue."

The air stilled to nothing as Weiss's cheeks caught fire.

Yang leaned in to look Weiss dead on, her eyes narrowed to slits. "How's that for _obeisance?"_ she purred.

"Damn you," Weiss muttered taking a step back. Her eyes were wide, her lips trembling, but there was no ambiguity in her body language—she was perfectly happy to have lost this particular battle.

Ruby's heart was pounding and she couldn't quite figure out why until a giddy little laugh bubbled its way out of her. "Weiss…" she said, her voice hitching as she fought to stop it cracking up. "You just got _served!"_

Weiss threw up her hands. "Oh _come on!"_ she whined. "Whose side are you on!?"

"The winning one, evidently," Blake snarked. Her eyes were sparkling with amusement." _Tasteless_ as all of this was."

"Monsters, all of you," Weiss grumbled.

Yang clapped a hand on Weiss's shoulder, nearly sending her straight to the moon in shock. "Don't take it personally, kid. It's what I do."

"We never did decide on dinner," Weiss grumbled, not leaning away from the touch. "Though it certainly seems you're in the mood for _Weiss Cream._ "

Yang choked on her voice.

A happy little fire stirred in Ruby's heart at the smiles on their faces, but her eyes drifted. Weiss and Yang were doing well amusing each other, but there was someone else left out. 

* * *

 

**Black CFVY groupchat**

**2:38 PM**

**ShroudedCat19: Okay I'm losing my mind.**  
**CaffeineQueen: no you're not whats wrong.**  
**ShroudedCat19: Weiss is flirting with my girlfriend. Who is Yang.**  
**ShroudedCat19: Like, in front of *her* girlfriend.**  
**ShroudedCat19: Who is Ruby.**  
**ShroudedCat19: And**  
**ShroudedCat19: No one seems to think this is weird but me????**  
**ShroudedCat19: Like don't get me wrong it's hilarious but is this what people do on double dates??? Because it's not what they do in the books I've read. And as my teammates love pointing out I've read a *lot* of books.**  
**CameraShy: Omg!!!**  
**FoxyWoxy: Whoa**  
**BigBoyCandyKing: That's very interesting. Are you being included?**  
**ShroudedCat19: Sorry?**  
**BigBoyCandyKing: In the flirting? Is it just Weiss and Yang? Or are you also involved? Is Ruby?**  
**ShroudedCat19: Uh.**  
**ShroudedCat19: Ruby isn't flirting with Yang what the fuck Yatsu.**  
**CaffeineQueen: omfg.**  
**CaffeineQueen: he means are they flirting with YOU.**

"Hey, Blake?"

Blake's spine went straight like a radio antenna. "Mm?" she said, pocketing her scroll and turning to the cute girl who was walking beside her.

Which was Ruby. Not Yang.

"You fell behind, and I noticed you were on your scroll a bunch," Ruby said. "You okay?"

Blake's heart did a backflip, because Ruby was _right_ there and—oh, okay, Yang and Weiss were walking just ahead of them, side by side, yes, this was fine, they'd just _switched partners._ Nothing about that was weird or deeply inconvenient for Blake personally.

What had Ruby asked her? _Oh, right._

Blake shook her head, putting on a smile and aiming it in Ruby's general direction. "I'm fine, just a little tired from all the walking."

Which was stupid and obvious bullshit, because she was a godsdamned _huntress_ and could run a marathon in heels, but Ruby still seemed to at least humor the explanation.

"Oh, okay. Well, you can lean on me if you want?"

Blake's skin vibrated with tension. "W-what?"

"N-nevermind!" Ruby stepped away so fast Blake was honestly surprised not to find any rose petals floating between them. "Sorry, that was weird, I'll um, leave you alone if you want?"

"N-no! It's fine. That… sounds nice actually."

Part of her screamed in silent terror as the words left her throat. _Oh gods oh gods what am I doing oh gods._

"Oh, well, cool," and then Ruby was at her side again, quick as before, but quieter now. She looked up at Blake—gods she was such a small thing—and gently pressed up against Blake's side. "This is okay?"

"Y-yeah," Blake said.

An arm looped around the small of her back, a hand clasping gently at her waist. "Is this?"

Blake was dying. "Y-yeah."

"Neat," Ruby said, and tugged Blake closer. "You can… y'know, put a little weight on me, if you want."

"O-okay," Blake swallowed, leaning into Ruby as well. _She's so warm, why is she so warm?_

Her scroll buzzed, and she glanced at Ruby. "Can I check my scroll without you looking?"

Ruby nodded. "Sure!"

Blake flicked open her scroll. A few messages had come in.

 **FoxyWoxy: I think you killed her yachts**  
**BigBoyCandyKing: It came out "yachts" again.**  
**FoxyWoxy: Piece of crab dictation software**  
**CaffeineQueen: sitrep blake?**

Blake swallowed, typing what she couldn't say aloud.

 **ShroudedCat19: SO UM.**  
**FoxyWoxy: Welcome back**  
**ShroudedCat19: There have been, developments.**  
**ShroudedCat19: Ruby is hugging me. Like, technically she's "supporting" me because I said that the reason I'm falling behind everyone was that I was tired, but this is definitely hugging, and she is very warm, and I guess this counts as me also being flirted with????**  
**CameraShy: OMG!!!!!**  
**CameraShy: CONGRATS????**  
**ShroudedCat: Thanks???? Why??????**  
**CaffeineQueen: omg.**  
**CaffeineQueen: blake stop texting us and flirt back you idiot.**  
**ShroudedCat19: What.**  
**FoxyWoxy: Oh my gods look**  
**FoxyWoxy: Weiss is flirting with Yang and Ruby is chill with it**  
**FoxyWoxy: Now Ruby is flirting with you**  
**FoxyWoxy: Is Weiss complaining question mark**

Blake glanced up.

 **ShroudedCat19: ...No, she hasn't noticed.**  
**ShroudedCat19: Wait, yes she has, she just looked back at us. And smiled. And didn't say anything.**  
**BigBoyCandyKing: Then it doesn't seem like there's a problem. Is there?**  
**CaffeineQueen: blake.**  
**CaffeineQueen: i am going to be real with you.**  
**CaffeineQueen: which i want you to understand is a big deal because i am always on my bullshit and just this once i'm gonna give you the real deal.**  
**ShroudedCat19: Okay?**  
**CaffeineQueen: close your goddamned phone and Talk. To. Her.**

Blake took a deep breath, reading Coco's words and letting them sink in.

**ShroudedCat19: Okay.  
ShroudedCat19: Thanks guys. See you in a bit.**

* * *

Ruby's blood was _on fire._

_Oh god oh god how did this happen what am I doing aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!_

She fought the blush, but the battle was lost. Her hands were sweaty, but one of them was on Blake's waist. _Her waist!!!! What!?_

Blake finally closed her scroll, and Ruby seized the moment with determined butterfingers. "S-sooo…" she said, trying to find anything to start a conversation and take her mind off how she'd somehow gone from checking in on her friend to _making a move on her._ "You look good. In a suit, y'know."

"Oh, thank you," Blake said, seeming startled by the compliment. She didn't add anything else.

"Um…" Ruby fumbled. "Why'd you go with it? I mean, I know you kinda do that androgynous thing sometimes but—"

Blake stiffened, and Ruby cut off in a flare of panic. _Oh no!_ "S-sorry!" she said, loosening her hold on Blake. "I didn't mean… sorry."

"It's… it's fine," Blake said. Her smile was strained, but she didn't seem mad at least. "It's… complicated, and it'd probably take a while to explain."

Ruby nodded, leaning back into her friend and squeezing her gently. "That's fine! If you wanted to sometime, though, I'd be okay with that. I… wanna know more about you."

Blake gave her a curious look. "'More about me?'"

"I mean just!" and Ruby was flailing again. "Well, we've known each other for two years but I just don't know you that well. Weiss is my partner, and Yang… well, obviously I've known Yang my whole life. You're cool, you're one of my favorite people!" She didn't miss the blush on Blake's face, and her heart soared a little. "But… we don't really talk much."

Blake's voice turned guarded. "We talk, sometimes."

"Yeah, but not about _real_ things," Ruby insisted. "We talk about school, fighting styles, team tactics… but we don't really talk about… other stuff."

"Like?"

"Like…" It clicked. "Like books."

"Books?"

"Yeah!" Ruby shook her head. "I know it's kinda silly, but like… I really want to hear your opinions and stuff? You're really smart, and I know we read some of the same stories."

Blake's lip turned up slightly. "Is this another joke about—"

"Not—!" Ruby flailed her hands wildly, before realizing she'd detached from Blake's side to do it. She zipped back into place before Blake could adjust her arms. "I just meant normal books!" She glanced away. "Well, _mostly._ "

"Ah ha." Yellow eyes hit her like target painters. "I _thought_ my copy of _Last Boat to Vacuo_ had gone missing."

Ruby covered her face with her hand. "I actually read that one for the plot! I thought it was just an adventure novel!" Her eyes shifted askance. "Then Azura started taking off her clothes…"

Blake laughed, and Ruby felt it through her whole body like it was her own. "Wait, you missed it _until_ then? Cerulean spent an entire chapter thinking about how nice it felt to be tied up."

"She didn't frame it like a sex thing!" Ruby knew she was blushing but she was also laughing and it felt good so she didn't bother to stop herself. "I thought it sounded nice."

_"Really?"_

Ruby produced the verbal equivalent of a keysmash. "Not like that!" she protested, despite Blake's knowing smirk. "I really mean it! It just… I thought it was cool, the way the Azura took care of her and stuff. All the check-ins and the aftercare." Once again, she didn't stop herself. "And the way the she described Cerulean in the next chapter _was_ really cute."

* * *

Blake's eyes went a little wider as she quietly revised some of her previous assumptions about Ruby. "I'm glad you liked it," she said.

Ruby nodded. "It was really good. Sorry I borrowed it without asking… I got nervous."

"It's fine. Although I _would_ prefer if you'd ask in the future." Blake squeezed her shoulder—when had her arm gotten there? It felt nice… "I'm also happy to give you recs, if you'd like."

Ruby beamed. "Yeah! Please do! Aughhhh there's so much I wanna talk to you about!"

"Having fun?"

Blake's spine went icy at the words. Ruby let out an adorable little _"eep!"_ as she squeezed Blake even tighter than she'd been originally.

Blake looked behind her, finding a… _disquietingly knowing_ grin on her girlfriend's face as she strolled up to Blake's unoccupied side. Weiss appeared at Ruby's own—apparently they'd gotten behind them, and neither Blake nor Ruby had noticed.

Blake's heartbeat wouldn't go down, but she was the only one who could tell. She put on a confident smirk, rolling her eyes in deliberately exaggerated offense. "We _were_ having fun, in fact."

"Yeah!" Ruby chimed in.

Yang looked at the two of them with an agonizingly inscrutable expression, before breaking into a smirk. She planted a little kiss on Blake's cheek and wove an arm around her shoulders. Ruby didn't leave. Blake felt very warm.

"We apologize for getting carried away," Weiss said. Blake noticed she'd wound her arm around Ruby's waist. They were taking up rather a lot of the sidewalk but the people of Vale knew had a particular aversion to to bothering tight quartets of young people, and were giving them space. "We were worried you might be feeling a little left out."

"But it looks like you guys managed fine." Yang's expression dropped a little, and her eyes met Blake's in a moment of silent communication. _Really, though. I'm sorry._

Blake smiled, shaking her head lightly. _It's fine._

Surprisingly, she found that she meant it.

She'd update team CFVY in a bit. For now, she leaned on her teammates.

* * *

They were at the museum before she realized it.

Blake stared up at the building in bewildered awe. It wasn't the first time she'd seen it, but the other times had only been in passing, or from afar. She'd taken it in, of course. She knew the shape. She'd just never really processed the _absurdity_ of it until now.

The Vale Metropolitan Museum of Art and Natural History was a _castle._ A castle that sat right in the heart of downtown Vale, amid perfectly modern office buildings and skyscrapers. It was a huge and complicated structure, with intricate crenelations and patterns etched into its monumental face and flying buttresses spanning across the roads surrounding it like the legs of a huge spider.

It reminded Blake of uncannily of Beacon, although it wasn't quite as big or fantastic as the academy.

"You good Blake?" Yang asked.

Blake shook herself. "Yeah, just… wow. It's big."

"Before the Great War, it was a stronghold," Weiss said, the reverence in her voice lending weight to her words. "A central defense the people of Vale could retreat to in times of strife, as well as the home of the royalty for centuries. It's a marvel of Valish antebellum architecture."

"And it's _currently_ the biggest museum in the world," Yang tacked on. "Largest public art collection _and_ most extensive Grimm replica collection in all four kingdoms."

Blake laughed, pulling Yang into a hug. "Okay, okay, I'm impressed." She looked up at the building, the pieces clicking together in her mind. "So was Beacon modeled after this?"

Weiss nodded. "The last king of Vale _was_ the first headmaster of Beacon, after all."

"That's so weird," Ruby scratched her head. "I mean, it makes perfect sense but it's still weird to think. Like, could you imagine Ozpin as the _king of Vale?_ "

"Yes," said Blake and Weiss immediately and in tandem. They looked at each other in mild embarrassment.

"Okay, as fun and fascinating as history is," Yang wasn't _quite_ being sarcastic, but there was a teasing edge to the comment, "why don't we discuss it _inside the museum?"_

"Yeah!" Ruby swept Weiss into her arms. The protest was less than last time, Blake noticed. "It's big and it's cool and it's gonna be closed in a few hours so let's goooo!"

Blake looked at Ruby and Weiss, and leaned into Yang for good measure.

_I'm so in love with these girls. It's going to kill me._

She sighed.

_Oh well._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing this fic has taught me that my favorite ship may actually be ladybug, which is probably more of a surprise to me than anyone else.
> 
> This took a long time to pull together and there are parts I'm still not happy about, but honestly I'm glad to be done with it. I have a folder of all the stuff I've cut since the Breakfast chapter and it's currently up to 8248 words. Which is... a lot. My process is a nightmare.
> 
> Now we can get to the actual substance of the date! And after that... the *really* fun stuff.
> 
> Thanks to Sgt. Chrysalis for the beta read! Bacon=saved.
> 
> Spot the extremely tiny and obscure hint at which city I live in for an extra 200 points.


	10. Chapter 10

The main lobby had a _chandelier._

It was nearly three times Blake's height, all gilt and glitter; a snowflake and a star rolled together into something ridiculous and beautiful. All around, murals covered the panels of the domed ceiling, bearing painted scenes of battles and glory, warriors across the ages fighting legendary Grimm. Carved vines wove around it all, down the walls to the timeworn stone of the floor.

It was breathtaking, but a sense of unease stirred Blake's thoughts. _On whose back was this built?_

She shook off the stray thought as a hand on her side brought Blake back to the present. "Hey," Yang said, pressing close behind her, pressing a light kiss into Blake's hair. "You okay, babe?"

Leaning back into her arms, Blake exhaled long and slow. "Yeah, just… a little overwhelmed, maybe? It's a lot to take in." As she spoke, her eyes drifted to where Ruby and Weiss stood not far away. Ruby spoke animatedly, gesturing up to the paintings as Weiss nodded in contemplation. Blake took her breath back in. "So…"

"So, we should really talk for a sec?" Yang's voice was soft, marred by a mote of worry. Her sight was on the other girls as well.

Blake sucked up her anxieties and faced her girlfriend head on. They both knew where this was going.

"So, the stuff with Weiss…" Yang's eyes got lost and her hands grew tense. "I really am sorry, I got carried away and I didn't even…"

"It's alright," Blake said. "I was _surprised,_ but…" Her shoulders hunched, and she found herself unable to look at Yang directly. "If anything I should really be apologizing for what happened with Ruby."

Yang mulled over the words for a moment, before sagging with an exaggerated groan. "This is silly. We're being silly." The words pulled a little smile out of Blake, before a hand touched her cheek. "Hey, look at me?" Blake did, and Yang's smile hit her face like sunlight. "I'm not mad, or jealous," Yang said, eyes filled with infinite fondness. "And unless I'm getting a lot worse at reading the people I love, you and Ruby both enjoyed that little moment you had. It's a win-win. No guilt required."

Blake's heart tried strained in her chest. "Gods, what did I ever do to deserve you?" she muttered. Yang laughed, wrapping her in a big tight hug. The warmth washed everything else out.

Blake let herself linger a while. Yang was a mountain, solid as stone and warm as magma, and her shoulder was a damn good place to rest one's head.

Still, evaporating tension left subtler questions exposed. "Do you have any idea what's going on with them?" Blake ventured, not lifting her head. "We're apologizing to each other, but _they're_ the ones who initiated things with _us_ . Escalated, even. That's… a pretty odd thing to do on _their_ first date."

"Oh it's _super_ weird." Yang's brow deepened. She brought a hand up, running it gently through Blake's hair, ghosting tantalizingly close to her feline ears. "Ruby getting cozy with you I could shrug off—she's always been huggy—but _Weiss_ is like a flipped switch ever since last night. I've got no idea what's going through her head, but whatever it is, I think Ruby's in on it."

"Mmm." Blake nodded, shuddering as the motion brought Yang's hand in brief contact with sensitive fur. She felt the rumble start to build in her throat, but suppressed it automatically. "What should we do? Stay the course? Call them on it?"

"I dunno." Yang's hand fell down through Blake's hair to run circles along her shoulder. "What do you _want_ to do?"

It took a long moment to come up with an answer, longer still to convince herself to give it, but Blake did. She pulled away, looking Yang in the eyes, committing her confidence to the words. "Honestly? I'm having a pretty good time. As long as it's comfortable, let's let it go, see where things go from here. Is that alright?"

"Sounds fine to me…" Yang trailed off, eyes traveling. "God, I'm so proud of both of them."

Blake smiled, craning her neck to look.

Ruby and Weiss stood together, hands linked, words hushed. They glanced over their shoulders as one, and for a breathless moment all four of them were just _looking_ at one another.

Something burned in Blake's chest, sweet and fragrant. "Yeah, me too."

* * *

Weiss's eyes drifted away from the purple and the gold. "Oh _hell."_

Ruby giggled, nudging her with a pointy little elbow. "Having a big gay feeling?"

 _"Evidently, yes,"_ Weiss huffed, but her glare was without ire. "I'm sorry about escalating things earlier."

"Don't be." Ruby kissed her lightly on the temple. "I wouldn't have been able to make a move on Blake if you didn't."

"Oh _ho,"_ Weiss turned a wicked smirk on her. "So you _did_ do that on purpose! I didn't take you for the aggressive type."

"Hey, I asked _you_ out!" Ruby's blush grew deeper, along with her smile. "So much for 'too early,' though. We're kinda hopeless…"

"It's the opposite." Weiss's thoughts drifted back to Yang's laughter, to Blake's blush, and it like she was drifting, full of light. "Last night, this morning, and just a few minutes ago… I have more hope now than I ever have in my whole life." Her eyes fell to land on Ruby's. "And I owe that all to you."

Ruby's eyes glittered, and suddenly there were rose petals everywhere. Weiss's ribs felt like they were going to shatter under the pressure of the embrace. Their auras came alive for a moment, touching like a kiss.

"I love you," Ruby said, her voice shaking. "So much."

Weiss felt tears in her eyes, and found them mirrored in Ruby's. Gingerly, she wrapped her arms around the smaller girl, running her fingers through her hair.  "I love you too."

"I want you to be happy. I want to be happy with you."

Weiss's breath caught in her throat, hands trembling as she swept away the dyed tresses, making room to press a kiss on Ruby's forehead. Then, as Ruby tilted her head up, her lips. They kissed for a long moment, until Ruby fluttered off into a sigh, going limp against the collarbone.

Weiss noticed the other two approaching, shooting them a smile even as Ruby refused to break from their embrace.

Blake cleared her throat, "You know… we _are_ here to look at the exhibits."

"Five more minutes," Ruby mumbled from somewhere around Weiss's collarbone. "Besides, she's prettier."

There was no hiding the blush _that_ produced. "You haven't even seen them yet," Weiss chided gently.

"Dun matter. You're the prettiest."

"Dorks," Yang proclaimed, stopping to ruffle Ruby's hair. Then, after a moment of hesitation—

Weiss _squeaked._ "Yang! Do you have any idea how long it takes to do this up?"

* * *

The scenery changed as they finally entered the gallery. The intricate stonework of the foyer was gone, hidden behind stark white walls lined with paintings. Sculptures stood in the open spaces between, styles and subjects varying wildly.

"This wing is the main collection," Yang said, ushering them forward like a tour guide. "There's a big exhibition further in, but I figured it'd be good to start with the classics."

Blake's eyes roved the walls. This section was mostly portraits—pre-war, by the looks of them. Faces stared down off the walls, regal and poised, their hands clasped, or holding books or scepters, marks of noble station sewn into rich fabrics.

And not a single faunus among them.

Blake sighed a bit, shrugging it off. It was a rather small thing, all told. Nothing to get worked up over.

Weiss gravitated towards one of the displays, and Blake followed her attentions to a particular cluster of paintings, gathered works of a single artist. From the style of clothing and the decor behind them Blake guessed that they subjects were all Mantellian nobility.

Weiss was entranced. "I didn't know this museum had _any_ Montblancs, much less _four._ " She leaned in, finger raised to trace the air above the glass cases. "That _brushwork."_

Blake looked, eyes widening as she caught what Weiss was saying. The brushstrokes layered over one another in an elaborate pattern, layers of almost transparent paint adjusting the colors beneath. It was _intricate,_ so much so that Blake could only imagine it'd taken weeks… _months_ of work to lay down. "That's… incredible," she said, catching Weiss's smile.

"Javiert Montblanc has always been one of my favorite artists," Weiss murmured, her eyes softening. "His grasp of color and light is astonishing."

Blake stepped back, her eyes taking in the painting more seriously. A woman, wearing a sharp-cut blue uniform, her chin lifted in quiet regality. A broad spread of medals glittered on her chest—Blake had to tilt her head to be sure they weren't actual metal pieces set into the canvas. The composition was where the magic was, though. The way the light seemed to slash across her body, the way shadows carved her jawline, the hollows of her eyes, the press of thin lips under a sharp, scarred nose.

Blake shook her head. "There's so _much_. Who is she?"

"Second Princess of Mantle, Aria Wilhelm," Yang said. "Gotta admit, I'm not usually so into the 'fancy portraits of rich people' section, but Montblanc really was something else."

Weiss nodded sharply, her eyes locked with those of the long-gone princess. "My grandfather was one of his last subjects," she said. "I used to stare at the painting for hours. I believe it still hangs in the library back… home."

Her voice trailed off, her smile gone. "It's a shame, really. Father never uses the library, and Whitley doesn't care for much for art."

Ruby hugged her from behind. "You should steal it!"

"W-WHAT?"

Blake cracked up, even as Ruby enthusiastically dug herself deeper. "It'll be great! We can stake out the house, learn all the guard rotations and block the security cameras, then sneeeeak into the library, stuff the painting into a suitcase, and escape on the airship we conveniently hid nearby! It's _perfect._ "

"There… there are _so many_ flaws in that plan." Weiss stared at her partner aghast, but she couldn't keep the smile off her face. "You don't need to stake anything out, I _grew up_ in the house. There aren't any guards, and the security drones won't activate if the cameras see that I'm with you. We'd still have to wipe the recordings somehow…" She brought her hand to her chin in quiet contemplation. "Actually… we _could_ avoid them entirely if we used the secret entrance."

"Your house has a _secret entrance?"_ Ruby looked ready to bounce off the walls. "Oh my god, we're _definitely_ stealing this painting."

Blake's ears pricked up. "Uh, Ruby?"

Ruby's spine went rigid, and she turned a sheepish smile on the security guard giving her a hard look from the doorway. "N-not these ones!" she said, gesturing at the wall frantically. "Um, that's, I'm sorry!"

The guard gave her a hard look for a moment longer, before rolling his eyes and muttering _"huntresses"_ under his breath and waving them off with a good-natured smile.

"Well, that was fun," Yang said, giving her sister a noogie for good measure. "But we've got a lot of museum left to go, and one of _my_ favorites is up next."

She led them onward, skipping a few smaller pieces, to stand before one of larger paintings in the whole room. It was wider than Yang was tall, a landscape spread of a stark white cliffside over an icy sea. Huge cranes extended off the bluff, long ropes trailing down to a ship moored at the base, the tiny flag of pre-war Vale flying above it.

 _"T_ _he Clarion and the Cliffs,_ by Zarri Kovacs," Yang intoned. "Also known as 'the most badass thing in the museum's permanent collection.'"

Ruby wiggled ecstatically. "Ooooooh it's as big as I remember! She grabbed Weiss and Blake by the hands, pulling them closer, oblivious to the blushes on both their faces as she did. "Look! Look at the ship!"

Blake eyes squinted, then widened in surprise. "Are those _people?"_

"Yup." Yang pointed back to the painting tracing a line from the sea to the cliffs. "Now check out the angle this is being painted from, how the viewer seems to be standing on the sea? Story goes, Zarri sat out on an ice floe for six hours to lay this out. _Bad. Ass._ "

Weiss half-turned to look back at Yang, but couldn't quite seem to get her eyes unstuck from the painting. "Kovacs, you said? I don't believe I've never heard of them. Who…?"

"They were actually a student of Montblanc's, if you can believe it." Yang shot her a smile. "But the two ended up _hating_ each other. They dueled like six times. Neither ever won."

The enthusiasm in her voice tugged at Blake's grin. "Hm. Fun."

" _Dueled?_ " Weiss gave Yang an astonished look. "What could have driven them to…?"

"A _whole_ lot of reasons." Yang shifted, setting her hand on her hip as her voice fell into a softer tone. "See, Montblanc was classically trained. And I mean _classically—_ Mantellian portraiture is older than _Mantle_ is; the tradition split off from Valish art around five hundred years before Montblanc was born. But Montblanc was _good._ So good that he was regarded as one of Mantle's greatest artists ever _—while he was still alive._ He gained enormous power in the art world, founded his own school, and overall kinda just… won the game. Nobody could touch him. Almost nobody tried."

She gestured up at the painting. "But Kovacs _tried._ They looked Montblanc _—_ at the whole art world in Mantle _—_ and saw a decadent, insular community who served the political elite and had no interest in the rest of the nation. Mantle was undergoing an industrial revolution at the time. The _first_ industrial revolution in recorded history. Kovacs grew up poor in the wharf district—they'd seen firsthand how fast the world was changing, and they wanted to document it, leave a record for the future.

"So, once they broke with Montblanc's school, they refused to do portraiture for the upper class. They took inspiration from Valish and Mistrali landscape artists, and used their portraiture skills on ordinary working people. And they were _good_ at it. Their exhibitions were wildly popular, drawing huge crowds and travelers from all across Remnant."

Yang's face fell, her voice growing somber. "But, that didn't sit well with the ruling elite. The Labor Movement was growing in power, and Kovacs, a lowborn artist whose work glorifyied common workers, was seen as too subversive to be tolerated. They were eventually blacklisted by all the major art institutions, and a few years later a gang of thugs broke into their home, destroyed all the artworks stored there, and beat Kovacs almost to death. They survived, but they never painted again…"

Blake had a hand on her mouth, her heart pounding in her chest. Weiss looked ill, her hands clenched tight. Ruby just… looked _less._

"… _That is,_ until the Queen and Parliament of Mantle passed a decree outlawing all forms of art." Yang's grin split wide. "At which point Kovacs—who's like seventy at this point, for the record—suddenly bursts out of retirement and joins _the resistance."_ She held up a hand, gesturing them towards the next set of paintings. "Which leads us to _this."_

Blake's eyes traveled, and then screeched to a halt.

The works in question were so much smaller, she hadn't even realized they were part of the same section. Posters, framed in glass for the gallery. Faded, printed color on tattered and frayed parchment.

The imagery was… _violent._ A body, twisted and broken, facing away as blood pooled beneath it, draining into a cobbled street. A man standing naked atop a scaffold with his eyes aimed skyward, an arrow sprouting from his chest. A child standing alone, her eyes cast down, her hand extended as she tossed a knit doll into a roaring fire.

Above each, huge block text, old characters Blake didn't know.

But apparently Weiss did. "Butchered," she breathed. "Martyr. Sacrifice. My _word._ "

"A lot of artists protested the art ban." Yang chuckled. "Because _obviously,_ right? But Kovacs went _hard._ They worked with underground newspapers and print shops to put stuff like this up _all over_ the city. Supposedly, they were also at most of the major protests, got beaten up half a dozen times. Again: seventy years old, no aura, no semblance. They did that for eight whole years, never stopping."

Yang’s voice shifted again, turning wistful. "They lived just long enough to see the end of the Great War. All four monarchs signed the Vytal treaty, giving up their sovereign power over their kingdoms. Mantle ceased the art ban and broke up the slave economy. The world turned upside down overnight."

Her eyes shifted, and she turned once more to face the huge landscape. "And, as the world turned, the last King of Vale visited Mantle, arriving at the Great White Cliffs of the southern coast of Solitas aboard his flagship, the _Clarion._ Four months later, a carefully kept package arrived at the royal castle in the heart of Vale. Inside was Zarri Kovacs' last painting, and it's been here ever since."

Yang closed her eyes, letting out a long breath.

There was dead silence for ten whole seconds.

Then, someone started _clapping._

Blake's ears spun. She hadn't realized it, but somehow they'd attracted a _crowd._ About thirty strangers, patrons and a few guards, drawn in by the story. The one applauding was a teenage boy, a faunus with a long brown cat's tail swishing behind him, but soon others joined in.

Blake turned back to find Yang taking a _bow_ , and the whole moment clicked into place as something she'd remember for the rest of her life.

Weiss and Ruby were clapping now, and Blake joined in as well. "Bravo," she called, blushing slightly at the grin and wink Yang sent her way.

"Encore!!!" Ruby cheered. "Do another one!"

"That's all for today, I think," Yang shot a smile and a wave at the crowd before shifting her attention fully back to her team. "Gotta leave something for the _paid_ tour guides to do, y'know?"

As the crowd slowly broke, Blake stepped in and kissed her, savoring the softness before pulling away for propriety's sake. "I sometimes forget just how good a storyteller you can be," she said, looking her girlfriend deep in the eyes.

"Well, y'know…" Yang grinned, her face glowing at the praise as she stared just as deeply back. "I had a lovely audience."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WE FINALLY GOT TO THE MUSEUM WOOO
> 
> I wanted to have another scene in here but I ran out of time and also this is a pretty good ending note for the chapter. Little more worldbuilding coming in for Atlas/Mantle here. I'll probably use the next chapter to get in a little more about Menagerie and/or Vacuo.
> 
> Overall, I think we've got 2-3 chapters to go before the end of this "arc," so to speak. I've gotten a couple comments about the general lack of stress Team RWBY has going on right now, and I think I'm kinda leaning into that for now. I have some fun and nasty plans for the future (I haven't forgotten about team JNPR, don't you worry), but this fic has turned out to be mostly fluff at its core. Which, honestly, is a nice change of pace from my other long-term projects.
> 
> Regardless, current plan is to keep this pace until the end of the arc and then drop back to once a month for whatever comes next. Real life is quite complicated right now; I'm looking into various education-y type things and probably gonna be shifting a lot of writing time to original projects/stuff I can get paid for. I'd love to write RWBY fanfic forever, but... capitalism. u_u
> 
> Thanks to Sgt. Chrysalis as always for the beta! Making my whole life easier. And thanks to everyone who's read kudoed and commented!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAHA SURPRISE CHAPTER!!!
> 
> Explanation at the end. Thanks for reading!

Weiss couldn't help herself. Her hand pressed tight over her mouth as her tears fell like the refreshing rains of spring, flowing into the earth of her heart and bringing forth flowering emotions without names in any mortal tongue. It was overwhelming. It was—

"Weiss? Are you okay?"

"I'm—I'm fine, Ruby," Weiss gulped out. Before her was the cause of her esorcelment, and her eyes would not leave it voluntarily. "I'm sorry, it's just… stars above, this one is _extraordinary!"_

"This one?" Blake said, standing with her hips cocked to match her eyebrows. "I mean, it _is_ an incredible painting, but… why _this_ one?"

"How can you even ask that?" Weiss snapped. "This—!" she thrust her arm out "—is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen!"

There was a beat as everyone processed the trajectory of her finger. Ruby let out a happy little whine, leaning forward an inch to nuzzle the digit with her nose. "Awww, Weiss!"

Yang snickered, leaning across Blake's shoulder to offer a thumbs up. _"Smooth."_ Blake just rolled her eyes, though a smile slipped through the facade.

"And _this—"_ Weiss whipped her hand to gesture at the wall—or tried to, rather, as Ruby caught it. "Darling, please."

Ruby rubbed her rosy cheek against Weiss's stolen hand. "Nope. Mine."

Weiss felt a full-body flush coming on, and cleared her throat sharply to distract herself. "Alright then." She raised her other hand instead. "And _this,_ is the most beautiful _painting_ I've ever seen."

"This one," Blake repeated. "The one that's just two old raggedy…" She stared at it, seeming genuinely lost. "I don't get it. I thought I was starting to understand your aesthetic preferences, and it is clear I was dead wrong, because I have no idea how this could possibly be _your_ favorite painting."

"No no, I think it makes sense," Yang said, shifting her stance as she drew a finger up under her chin. "Kinda. Well, I get her liking Lan Qiáng Guī's stuff. Not sure why it's _this_ one, though. I mean, it _is_ just a pair of muddy boots."

"You absolute brutes," Weiss muttered, shaking her head sharply and doing her best to look imposing with the world's most adorable lamprey attached to her arm. "How can you just stand there and make fun when beholding _this._ Look at the detail, the perfect care! This is not a dirty pair of boots—this is all the history, all the woven _meaning,_ the profound _significance_ of a working person's precious and reliable footwear, condensed by a master artist and laid out on canvas to endure for centuries! This is a snapshot of a long-gone life, frozen in time forevermore." Her eyes sparkled with genuine awe as she turned back to look, to take in every pane of light encoded in oil and pigment. "This is more than a painting, this is an illustration of the full power of art itself!"

There was another beat.

"Well, I think they're pretty!"

"Thank you, Ruby."

"And I think _you're_ pretty."

"T-thank you, Ruby."

"Is this your way of telling us you have a thing for feet?"

"Shut up, Yang."

* * *

"Oooh, I really like this one."

"Wait, seriously?" Yang's voice stumbled, her normally cool-and-confident facade crumbling. "It's modern art. I thought you _hated_ modern art."

"I mean, I did when I was younger, but that was just because I didn't _get_ it back then." Ruby impishly stuck out her tongue. "Now I get it! This one, anyway."

Weiss and Blake both shot her skeptical looks.

"Really?" Weiss asked, staring up at the artwork in confusion. "It's… a series of triangles. Unpleasant triangles." Her eyebrows rose. "I suppose it is an impressive achievement to make _triangles_ unpleasant…"

"Hmmm…" Blake's ears swiveled a little as she thought. "They _are_ unpleasant, but… there feels like there's more to it. What did you 'get,' Ruby?"

"So…" Ruby rocked on her heels as she thought of how to express it in words. Her hands clasped behind her back, thumbs twiddling. "Maybe this is just _super_ subjective, but honestly I've never seen a better illustration of what social anxiety feels like."

"Oh." Blake's eyes grew three sizes. "Oh my gods you're _right."_

"Fascinating…" Weiss took a step back, hand rising to cover her mouth in contemplation. "The texture of my experience is a bit different, but… that's a very strong interpretation."

Yang simply stared at the painting in astonishment. "Huh. So _that's_ what that feels like? Oof, that's really gotta suck."

The air went cold. All three girls turned to look at her, each wearing their own expression of silent horror.

"Yang," Blake said with a heavy slowness. "Are you saying you've… never been socially anxious?"

Yang scratched her head, shooting them a sheepish grin. "Well, maybe _occasionally,_ but… not really, no?"

Ruby and Blake stared at Yang like she'd just announced that water wasn't wet.

Weiss just sighed. "That… explains _so much."_

* * *

Blake's heart stilled in her chest. "Oh."

"Oh, that's _beautiful,"_ Yang said, drawing alongside.

"Wow…" Ruby grinned, drinking it with her eyes. "Look at that _color._ Ahh, I _love_ this one."

"Are those _all_ glass pieces?" Weiss wondered, moving close to inspect it. "They _are!_ That's ingenious."

"Sea glass, actually. It's a Menagerian mosaic." Blake swallowed down a pang of nervousness at the others' attention. "I think I recognize the artist, actually. Is it Matcha de Montaña?"

Weiss examined the plaque. "It is, in fact."

"I thought so. She's one of the few faunus to find success in the international art world." Blake felt something strange in her gut. "Though, I'm not a big fan, to be honest."

"Why not?" Ruby asked.

Tension snaked along Blake's shoulders, tightening around her throat. It was an old, familiar feeling. She acknowledged its presence, but she did not let it choose her words. "Mosaic is a folk art tradition," she said, stepping closer to the piece. "Faunus communities along the southeast coast of Mistral didn't have access to many of the tools and pigments their kingdom was famous for, either for economic or geographic reasons. So they started decorating their public spaces with found materials, like carved shells and sea glass. The tradition spread to Menagerie when the settlement was founded, and it's seen as symbolic of their—"

She bit back a snarl at her own slip-up.

"Of _our_ resilience, when faced with oppression and poverty. Mistral used the art ban before the Great War as an excuse to try and stamp the tradition out of existence, along with several others, but the faunus of the time fought back. They refused to give up their culture, even when soldiers came to rip up town squares and desecrate temples. Even when those soldiers opened fire."

She felt Yang's hand reach for hers and grasped it gratefully, letting some of the tension bleed away. She shifted, and Yang got the message, gently slipping her arms under Blake's to embrace her.

"Fuck those fascist assholes," Yang muttered, squeezing Blake tight.

"Mm," Weiss agreed through grit teeth. "Well said."

"Yeah…" Ruby murmured, looking more sad than angry. "But, I'm glad the style still exists. That it outlived the hate."

Blake smiled, leaning into her girlfriend's arms. "Me too," she sighed, staring back up at the huge mosaic. "But… that's why a lot of faunus have a problem with Matcha's work. Mosaic is an important piece of Menagerie's culture, and she's turning it into a commodity. Her work sells for millions of lien a piece, almost exclusively to human collectors and human-run galleries like this one. It's not that she doesn't have a right to work with the medium, but…" She shook her head. "It's complicated."

"Sounds like it." Yang planted a kiss on her head gently. "I remember seeing a couple mosaics in Kuo Koana. The one in front of the library was _really_ amazing."

Blake turned until they were both embracing each other. "Remind me, and I'll show you more, next time. There are a ton of them hidden around town, some in places you really wouldn't expect." Her gaze slipped to the others. "You too. If you think _this_ is impressive… I have a bridge to show you."

Ruby beamed and bounced with pure excitement. "I'd really love to! We gotta go to Menagerie over summer break so we can see cool art! And meet Blake's cool parents!"

Weiss gave them all worried look, but Blake intercepted it before she could speak. "You're still invited," she said, offering the ex-heiress a smile. "In fact… I'd be really happy if you came with. Team RWBY wouldn't be the same without you."

Weiss's eyes widened, shining with emotion for an instant before she cleared her throat sharply and blinked away the unshed tears. "I… still haven't decided, but… I appreciate that. Thank you, Blake."

* * *

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—"

Yang clapped a hand over her sister's mouth. "Damn, just a _bit_ too slow."

Blake gave them both a strange look. "…Why did Ruby just start screaming."

Ruby clawed her sister's hand away and zipped off into the next room, hollering "It's the arms and weapons section!!!" as she went.

"Oh," Blake said, all questions obliterated instantly.

Weiss somehow managed to make an eyeroll into a gesture of affection. "That's charmingly characteristic."

"Adorably on-brand," Blake agreed.

Weiss shot her a surprised glance, and Blake coughed quickly into her hand. "Uh, that's—we should catch up to her. Make sure she doesn't… break anything?"

"Oh, dangit, you're right," Yang muttered, seemingly having missed the slip.

She took off, leaving her monochromatic teammates to follow more slowly in her wake.

There was a pause, broken only by the clicks of footsteps.

"You know…" Weiss said, "you're allowed to think Ruby is cute."

Electric tension rocked Blake's entire body. She waited for Weiss to amend the statement, to correct it or walk it back, but when she looked up she found an uncanny steadiness in those blue eyes.

"Um, right," Blake eventually said, just to break the silence. "I mean… it's _Ruby._ There's basically nothing she does that _isn't_ cute."

"Precisely." Weiss smiled warmly, shifting closer to take Blake's hand. "I'm not so selfish to take all that for myself. It would be like trying to lay claim to the sun."

Blake's was desperately thankful Weiss wasn't able to hear heartbeats at this range. "T-thanks…?" she said.

Weiss pulled away immediately, worry suddenly etched into her face. "Was that a strange thing to say?"

"No!" Blake scrambled to catch herself, to figure out where she _was_ in this conversation. "It was… very sweet actually." She smirked. "Comparing Ruby to the sun is an odd choice, though. I'd have said she was a star."

"Oh?" Weiss's eyebrow rose. "Then Yang would be the sun?"

"Exactly."

"And what am I?"

Blake swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry as a black rock in the desert. "The moon?"

"Hmmm." Weiss nodded, seeming uncertain. "I'd think that fits you a bit better, actually."

"Oh." Blake's mind ran through it, her lip quirking. "T-thank you."

"Although, I suppose I am left out in that case…"

"Well…" It clicked in Blake's head all at once. "Judgement…" she muttered. She tensed up, realizing she'd said it aloud, but Weiss just seemed lost in thought.

"Judgement… hm. That's quite intense, but perhaps…"

Blake's eyebrows rose. "Wait, _you_ know tarot?"

Weiss shrugged, slipping Blake a casual smile. "Only a little. My sister was interested in it for a while growing up. She left me her deck when she joined the military."

Blake's lips quirked up. "I never would have guessed."

"Well," Weiss gave Blake a smug look. "I suppose I must still have a few _hidden depths_ left for you to explore."

…

Weiss covered her face with her free hand. "Oh stars, I am spending _far_ too much time with Yang."

Blake laughed, desperately trying to ignore the burning sensation up to her ears at the thought of _exploring Weiss's depths_. "That wasn't too bad, actually. Almost a passable impression."

Weiss grinned. "Why, thank you. That's high praise coming from the Yang expert herself." Weiss pondered for a moment. "Yangspert? Xiao— there's an X in that name, you'd think I'd be able to come up with something."

Blake chuckled. "It's harder than it seems. She really does have a gift."

"So she does."

They drifted into silence as they passed through the arch and into the Hall of Weapons. It was a staggering collection, weapons arranged in tall racks, with nameplates and descriptions just like the rest of the exhibits. Centuries of experimentation and expression were on display.

"Is it arrogant?"

Whiplash snapped Blake's thoughts. "Hm?"

"To assign ourselves the major arcana," Weiss elaborated, "and the celestial ones, at that?"

Blake blinked, a little surprised they were still on this topic, but not bothered. "Oh. Not really. I think… it would be, if we assigned them to ourselves, but we didn't. The meaning is different. We're not being self-important, we're highlighting the importance we have… to…" She hesitated, blush growing as she realized what she was about to say.

Still, nothing to do but finish the thought. "...To each other."

"Ah." Weiss gave Blake a sparkling smile. "I quite like that. Thank you, Blake."

Blake mumbled something in the realm of "of course," or "don't mention it," as they headed off to rejoin their respective girlfriends.

* * *

"Oooooooooh it's a Vacuan meteor hammer!" Ruby bounced. "Ahhh and look at the shine on the burn crystal, it's still got most of its power! Was this a ceremonial weapon?" She inspected the plaque, eyes quickly scanning the description. _"No,_ it was used! They must have replaced it right before it was lost. Aaaaugh could you imagine hitting something with that? Like, _wha-cha-baboooom."_ She threw her hands out for emphasis.

Yang chuckled from where she was leaning against the wall off to the side. "Characteristic."

"What?"

"Nothing." Yang pushed off, joining her sister in inspecting the case. "These are all Vacuan?"

"Yeah! From the pre-colonization period, six-to-three hundred years ago." Ruby's smile dimmed a bit. "Vacuo had a caste of elite warrior monks, kinda like hunters today, but more ritualized. It was tied up with a religious system that was popular at the time. Syricism, I think? But, the monasteries outlived the religion's popularity in the rest of the kingdom. I think Shade's built out of one of the old temples."

"It's kinda impressive that you know all that." Yang eyed her. "You never were much for history."

"This is _weapon_ history! It's _way_ more interesting than regular history!" Ruby fidgeted a moment. "And anyway, Weiss's been tutoring me on the regular stuff. I'm getting a lot better."

"Mhmm." Yang fell silent, her eyes lingering on the haft of some kind of long mace. "How are you feeling, by the way? About the date thing."

"It's great!" Ruby said. She met Yang's eyes, smiling softly. "I'm having an awesome time. _Really._ "

Yang sighed, planting her feet and fixing Ruby with a hard stare. "Even when me and Weiss were openly flirting in front of you? Because I know you're not dumb, sis. I know you _noticed._ "

Ruby's smile slipped, just a little. Just enough that Yang knew she understood the gravity behind the question. It resolidified in the next instant, holding a determined edge. "You mean, was I jealous?"

Yang nodded, fists tight. "More or less, yeah."

"Nope!"

It took a second to comprehend. "…How?"

"Dunno." Ruby said, shifting to look at the weapons once more. "Y'know, it's kinda funny. I thought I might be but… I wasn't."

The earth seemed to be shaking under Yang's feet. "You thought—you _knew_ she was going to…?"

"A little bit," Ruby said, shooting her sister a sideways glance. Then, her smile dropped away, her eyes traveling somewhere obscure. "But, the stuff with me and Blake. Was _that_ okay?"

Yang sucked in a breath, unsteadied by the vulnerability in Ruby's voice. "I… think so, yeah."

Ruby nodded, turning away. Quiet enveloped them, as they both pretended to be focused on the weapons without really being focused on anything at all.

"You can tell me," Ruby said softly. "If it's not okay, I mean."

"Yeah, I know."

"And, I know I can tell you. I _will_ tell you, if anything you do isn't."

Yang sighed, shooting Ruby a smile. "Thanks, sis."

Another moment passed, as Yang tried to work out her thoughts.

"So…" she began, still piecing together the question as she spoke. "How did you know Weiss would—"

She cut off at the click of heels and wingtips. "Apologies for the delay," Weiss said, slipping into Ruby's orbit with a warm smile. Her eyes caught on Yang's expression, and and widened a little in concern. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, no, we're all good," Yang said, pushing back the question for now. She grinned at the couple, waggling her eyebrows and enjoying the little look of indignation that drew from Weiss.

This was their day, and they both seemed to be having a good one. She could let it go for now, but…

_What exactly are those two dorks up to?_

* * *

Blake lagged behind as they toured the weapons section, shooting Yang a little wave and a hopefully-convincing  _'I'm just a little bit tired,'_ when she checked in.

And did the same when Ruby checked in a moment later. And Weiss a moment after that.

Honestly it was getting to the point she was having trouble remembering which one of them was supposed to be in love with her.

She pulled out her scroll almost without thinking about it.

**Black CFVY Groupchat:**

**4:48 PM**

**ShroudedCat19: Help.** ****  
**CameraShy: Blake!!! How's it going?** ****  
**ShroudedCat19: Depends on your point of view.** ****  
**ShroudedCat19: If we're talking about just, utilitarian happiness, tonight is very good.** ****  
**ShroudedCat19: If we're talking about my cardiac health, some alarms should probably be going off.** ****  
**CaffeineQueen: aac.** ****  
**ShroudedCat19: ?** ****  
**BigBoyCandyKing: "Actual Audible Chuckle."** ****  
**FoxyWoxy: She actually did it** ****  
**FoxyWoxy: It was weird** ****  
**BigBoyCandyKing: What seems to be the trouble, Blake? We certainly don't want you to have a heart attack.** ****  
**ShroudedCat19: I mean it's more of the same.** ****  
**ShroudedCat19: I have feelings for Ruby, and more immediately Weiss. And they are not making it any easier to deal with by being wonderful and amazing people who are open and intelligent and kind and I should really stop typing this paragraph.** ****  
**CameraShy: !!!!** ****  
**CaffeineQueen: AAC.** ****  
**BigBoyCandyKing: Guys.** ****  
**BigBoyCandyKing: Is it merely that the feelings are growing stronger, or is there another shift?** ****  
**CameraShy: Earlier on you said Ruby was flirting with you? Is that still going on?** ****  
**ShroudedCat19: Kinda??? They've chilled out since we got to the museum but now it's just… I don't know.**  
**ShroudedCat19: There's this *energy* in the air. It's not so much physical touches as it is just, care and attention?**  
**CameraShy: :D** **  
** **CaffeineQueen: that's adorable.**

Blake frowned, glancing up quickly to make sure no one was approaching. The others were still looking at the exhibits, Ruby gesturing animatedly at an extremely old pistol with an axe head attached to it. It was one of the last exhibits in the gallery.

Blake kinda wished she could hear her explanation of why it was important, but she had a more important concern.

 **ShroudedCat19: Guys this isn't funny, I don't know what to do.** ****  
**ShroudedCat19: I need to stop feeling like this. *Soon.*** ****  
**FoxyWoxy: Wait what** **  
** **FoxyWoxy: Why would you want to stop this sounds great**

Blake stared at her phone in disbelief.

 **ShroudedCat19: It *really* isn't! I'm not some schoolgirl having meaningless crushes! I am in a committed relationship with a wonderful woman who I love, and I don't have any intentions of breaking her heart so I can hook up with her sister! Or breaking** **_both_ ** **their hearts and hitching up with Weiss! And I'm not going to two-time it with one of them under Yang's nose, because A) that's horrible and B) neither of them would let me do that to begin with!**

Blake's heart was pounding. She could feel blood rushing to her head, feel the way her teeth were gritting.

 **CameraShy: Um…?** ****  
**CaffeineQueen: blake you're missing the really obvious solution to this.** ****  
**ShroudedCat19: Yeah? Sure, okay, WHAT? Because I am at a complete fucking loss, Coco.** **  
** **ShroudedCat19: I mean it's not like I can date all three of them at once! Because as nice as that sounds that's not a thing that *actually happens!***

There was a momentary pause.

 **CaffeineQueen: …** ****  
**BigBoyCandyKing: …** ****  
**FoxyWoxy: Ellipsis** ****  
**CameraShy: Uh, Blake? Why exactly did you ask us for help?** **  
** **CameraShy: Like, *us* specifically. Team CFVY?**

Blake's head tilted at the abrupt change in topic.

 **ShroudedCat19: Uh…?** ****  
**ShroudedCat19: Well, honestly because you four are in two of the healthiest relationships I know.** ****  
**ShroudedCat19: You and Coco are incredibly sweet to one another, and I don't know as much about how Fox and Yatsuhashi's works but it seems very stable from what I've noticed.** **  
** **ShroudedCat19: I figured if anyone I knew had dealt with something like this, and would be willing to help, it would be you guys.**

Another pause.

 **FoxyWoxy: Oh sweet merciful gods she doesn't know** ****  
**CameraShy: Oh dear.** ****  
**CaffeineQueen: how. the. hell.** ****  
**BigBoyCandyKing: Blake you are missing some very important information.** **  
** **BigBoyCandyKing: I am honestly flabbergasted that this has never come up.**

Blake's ears flicked sharply.

 **ShroudedCat19: Oooookay. I'm inclined to agree right now.** ****  
**ShroudedCat19: What did I miss?** ****  
**CameraShy: Hold on. I'm so confused?** ****  
**CameraShy: Are we subtle???** ****  
**CaffeineQueen: how dare you. i have never once been subtle in my entire life.** ****  
**FoxyWoxy: You slap my ass literally any time I let you** ****  
**FoxyWoxy: And Velvet and Yatsu are constantly up on each other** ****  
**BigBoyCandyKing: Alright. Chill.** **  
** **BigBoyCandyKing: Blake. First, let me say that you got a few things right. I am dating Fox, and Coco is dating Velvet. However, that is not the full extent of our relationships.**

Blake's eyes widened.

**ShroudedCat19: OH.**

She started typing something, but erased it just as quickly. She really wasn't sure what to say. She waited for Yatsu to finish, but Fox beat him to the chase.

 **FoxyWoxy: Literally all of us are dating all of us** ****  
**FoxyWoxy: That's it it's not that complicated** ****  
**CameraShy: It's a little complicated!** **  
** **CameraShy: Blake I'm sorry we never told you we just… assumed everyone knew already?**

Blake's head swam.

 **ShroudedCat19: Well, I sure didn't.** ****  
**CaffeineQueen: okay crash course time then.** ****  
**CaffeineQueen: first: it's called polyamory and we have books.** ****  
**CameraShy: *I* have books. >_>** ****  
**CaffeineQueen: okay fine *velv* has books and i never actually bothered to read them but i'm great at it anyway** ****  
**FoxyWoxy: You're terrible and we're constantly taking care of you** ****  
**BigBoyCandyKing: The point is, you are not alone. You are not broken.** ****  
**CameraShy: And, when we said all those things about telling your teammates about how you feel… we didn't just mean "they have a right to know!" or something dumb like that! It might be hard, but these kinds of things *can* work.** ****  
**CaffeineQueen: second: this kind of thing is legally sanctioned in vacuo.** ****  
**FoxyWoxy: Though to be fair a lot of things are legally sanctioned in Vacuo** ****  
**CaffeineQueen: third: there are like 3 other academy teams doing basically this that i know of right now including at least one more at beacon** ****  
**CameraShy: WHO WE ARE NOT OUTING!** **  
** **CaffeineQueen: obviously. cmon velvs have some faith in me.**

Blake's mind was a hurricane. She vaguely noticed her teammates looking her way, but paid them no mind.

 **ShroudedCat19: You're serious.** ****  
**ShroudedCat19: Wait, three teams *besides* you?** ****  
**ShroudedCat19: How did I not know about any of this until just now?** ****  
**CameraShy: Well, we don't talk about it a ton?** ****  
**CameraShy: I mean personally, it's hard enough being a faunus in Vale, and I don't want people to think this is some kind of "rabbit behavior" thing. ;_;** ****  
**ShroudedCat19: ...Okay yeah, I can imagine.** ****  
**CaffeineQueen: even on the human end it's not easy to explain.** ****  
**CaffeineQueen: any idea how many times i've been called a slut because someone found out? double digits.** ****  
**CaffeineQueen: but it's also not like we're ashamed of each other.** ****  
**CaffeineQueen: so we usually just let people figure it out on their own.** **  
** **ShroudedCat19: Or in my case, miss it completely.**

Blake took a very long, very deep breath, trying to get her thoughts to slow down enough to hold onto one for more than a few seconds.

 **ShroudedCat19: I have questions.** ****  
**CaffeineQueen: no kidding.** ****  
**ShroudedCat19: For now just the practical concerns.** ****  
**ShroudedCat19: 1. How did you** **_start?_ ** ****  
**ShroudedCat19: You said Velvet had a book, did she ask everyone else out, or…?** ****  
**CameraShy: Well………** ****  
**FoxyWoxy: It was Coco's fault** ****  
**BigBoyCandyKing: Entirely so.** ****  
**CaffeineQueen: hey don't act like you nerds weren't secretly crushing on each other for months anyway.** ****  
**CaffeineQueen: i just moved things along.** ****  
**BigBoyCandyKing: To clarify, Coco essentially started flirting with increasing overtness, targeting all of us individually and making no attempt to hide her intentions. Eventually we all figured out what she was doing and held a meeting without her, at which point Velvet shared her library with us.** ****  
**FoxyWoxy: Then we banded together and gave Coco a taste of her own medicine** ****  
**CaffeineQueen: best sunday in history. 😎** ****  
**CameraShy: Seriously though, don't do any of that?** ****  
**CameraShy: We're SUPER LUCKY that everything worked out the way it did. Coco could easily have destroyed team CFVY because she was too insecure to just talk about what she actually wanted.** ****  
**CaffeineQueen: ouch velvs.** ****  
**CameraShy: The truth hurts, sweetie! ^_^** ****  
**ShroudedCat19: Wait a second.** ****  
**ShroudedCat19: Is that what Weiss** ****  
**ShroudedCat19: Is that what Ruby *and* Weiss are doing right now?** ****  
**BigBoyCandyKing: Very possibly. It's hard to say remotely, but from what you've relayed they do seem to have *some* idea what they're doing.** ****  
**ShroudedCat19: That's… adorably devious.** ****  
**ShroudedCat19: Anyway, 2. What about Ruby and Yang?** ****  
**ShroudedCat19: Even assuming that this is a viable option, they're *sisters.* Dating both of them would be… complicated.** ****  
**FoxyWoxy: That's going to be tough probably** ****  
**CaffeineQueen: biggest reservation by far tbh.** ****  
**CameraShy: Yup! But there's no reason it *can't* work! It's just going to require some extra effort and careful boundary-setting. Which, you should all be doing anyway.** ****  
**BigBoyCandyKing: That is, assuming everyone is interested in a polyamorous relationship to begin with.** ****  
**BigBoyCandyKing: I hate to be the voice of rain, but you shouldn't put too much hope in this outcome. It is a difficult thing to establish, much more so to maintain.** ****  
**CaffeineQueen: that said you seem to at least have 2/3 on board with it anyway** ****  
**CaffeineQueen: and they're the ones you're not already dating.** ****  
**CaffeineQueen: honestly this sounds like a golden ticket scenario.** ****  
**ShroudedCat19: Understood.** ****__  
**ShroudedCat19: Okay 3.** ****  
**ShroudedCat19: Does Yang know about you guys?** **  
** **FoxyWoxy: Oh absolutely**

Blake dragged a hand down her face.

 **ShroudedCat19: Well, great! Wish she'd mentioned it to me ever.** ****  
**CameraShy: To be fair! We did ask her not to out us to anyone outside her team.** ****  
**CameraShy: I guess she decided to be extra discreet about it? Which is kinda sweet actually!** ****  
**ShroudedCat19: Fair point. Yang *is* sweet like that.** ****  
**ShroudedCat19: So… corollary. How did she *react?*** ****  
**BigBoyCandyKing: She was interested. Certainly not upset.** ****  
**CaffeineQueen: oh hell. remember what she said about her parents?**   
**FoxyWoxy: Oh shit**

Blake's eyes widened.

 **ShroudedCat19: Uh, what?** ****  
**CameraShy: You should ask Yang about it when you get a chance! Well, maybe not immediately.** ****  
**ShroudedCat19: Ooookay.** ****  
**BigBoyCandyKing: However, if the concern is that Yang will be upset about the concept of a group relationship, I do not believe you have anything to worry about.** **  
** **BigBoyCandyKing: She did not seem disgusted, or even**

"Blake?"

The scroll nearly flew out of her hands. She snatched it to her chest, looking up with barely concealed terror. "Yang."

Yang gave her a concerned look. Ruby and Weiss hovered behind her, looking much the same but giving them space for the moment. "You… okay?" Yang asked. "We can cut this museum thing short if you're not feeling it."

"I'm alright," Blake said, a smile tugging at her lips. "I just got some… news. Nothing bad, just… surprising."

"Oh, cool." Yang's smile returned, her posture easing.

Blake felt a warmth growing, her eyes flicking briefly to the other girls, meeting them for a breathless moment.

She could see it. The slow rounding of Weiss's eyes. The little smirk splitting Ruby's lips.

She couldn't help but grin. She wanted to tease them so badly, to give them a quarter of the heart attack they were giving her. _But…_

She turned and threw her arms around Yang's shoulders, burying her face in the girl's neck. Yang stepped back on her heel, startled, but quickly returned the embrace, letting her hand slip into Blake's hair like it was the most natural thing in the world. "Woah, Blakey. How good _was_ this news, hm?"

Blake didn't answer, just held Yang close and tight, letting the scrape of nails against the base of her ears lull her down from the emotional high.

There was so much left to unpack. So many questions she had to find the answers for. So many conversations left to have.

But, for right now, in this moment… Blake was feeling pretty great.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey folks!
> 
> I thought I wouldn't have this ready in time for the end of last month, but I actually got very close. I had a busy week, so I didn't get around to putting the finishing touches on it until just now, but I decided to release this a little bit ahead of schedule, partly as an apology for falling behind last month, but mostly to give me extra time to work on the next chapter.
> 
> I've been holding onto that B/CFVY chatlog for... at least half the time I've been working on this fic. (Also, Actual Audible Chuckle came from the brother of one of my close good friends. It started as a replacement for "lol" but now people actually just say "AAC" out loud and it's amazing.)
> 
> We're getting close to the end now, and I'm really looking forward to writing the next couple chapters!
> 
> Also... a small note. I've been dodging around anti-faunus racism for the most part. I'm fairly white, so it's not exactly my lane. That said, if you do have such experience and think I handled the mosaic scene badly in some way, please let me know! I'd be happy to edit or even outright remove it if I fucked up.
> 
> Special thanks to Sgt. Chrysalis for beta reading! And thanks to everyone who's kept up with this story so far! I'm immensely humbled by how many of you there are. ;_; I hope the next few chapters live up to your expectations!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyyyyyyy what's up! Sorry I'm late; this one took basically the whole month to do but it's HEEEERE.

The marble clicked under their heels.

_Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick… tick-a-tick, tick-a-tick, tick-a-tick—_

Ruby giggled.

"She's skipping," Blake observed.

Weiss smiled. "So she is."

Ruby spun, arms out like propeller blades, her dress twirling about her knees. "I'm just excited! It's been _forever_!"

Weiss's heart sang. She knew she was blushing, but who was going to judge her at this point? "I suppose I don't need to tell you how strange you are?" she teased, arms crossed in a parody of aloofness. "You react to _creatures of manifest hatred_ the way a normal girl reacts to _kittens."_ Her tone was all affection; honestly, she wasn't sure if she _could_ be harsh with Ruby anymore.

"I'm a huntress!" Ruby shot back, pursing her lips in offense. "Grimm are like, eighty percent of my job! It's perfectly normal to be invested in my job!"

Weiss arched an eyebrow. "That hardly explains your _plushie_ collection."

Ruby's cheeks colored. "Hey, they're _cute!"_

"You have… _Grimm plushies,"_ Blake deadpanned, turning to Yang for ultimate confirmation.

Yang nodded emphatically. "Ooooh yeah. Like, twenty of them."

Blake took in this information with a serious look on her face. "…I can't decide if that's adorable or worrying," she said, but the smile as she spoke strongly implicated the former.

A wave of tingling warmth hit Weiss somewhere around the solar plexus. She was getting increasingly confidant that Blake had feelings for Ruby, and while she still wasn't quite certain how Blake or Yang felt about herself, the sheer relief in that realization had her floating on clouds.

_Perhaps this will all work out after all._

"ANYWAY," Ruby deflected with a mastery of subtlety that put the greatest of spies and courtesans to shame. "It's just through here! C'mon!"

She broke into a run, up to a huge stone archway, HALL OF GRIMM spelled out above it.

The other three exchanged a round of smiles and shrugs, and like in all things, followed after their leader.

* * *

They walked—or sprinted, in Ruby's case—through through the arch. The room was unassuming, at first, a small platform with a bank of elevators on one side and a couple of kiosks with guidebooks along the other. But past all that, there was a disconnect. The floor ended in a railing, at the edge of a great cliff. The walls was far enough off that the air had turned it blue.

Blake stepped out to the rim, leaning on the steel bar as she stared out and down at an incredible display.

A wide valley splayed out below her. To her left, a path descended down one side of the artificial ravine, threading through the landscape like a river. Along it, the scenery changed at intervals, from forests to scrubland, to desert, to tundra. A dozen different regions of Remnant recreated in microcosm.

And, of course, the Grimm.

When Blake had heard "Grimm replicas," she'd pictured taxidermic recreations—the kind that certain vain hunters liked to hang on their mantles or display in their living rooms. She'd imagined these would be _good_ ones, detailed and lifelike, perhaps with glowing eyes to play the part a bit better, speakers in the throat to pipe out tinny roars and startle children.

She'd clearly underestimated the Vale Museum of Natural History.

A beowulf crouched alongside the path, shifting from foot to foot as it growled at a young couple setting up to take a picture. Suddenly, the beast leapt forth to the boundary of the path. It reared back to its full height and roared,  and the pair jumped back abruptly, before bursting out into nervous laughter.

Further down, a boarbatusk snorted and shook its head, scraping the ground roughly with a hoof before curling up into a ball and launching into the creature's signature spin, zipping around in a quick circle before uncurling and skidding to a clumsy halt. The children watching it clapped.

Blake shifted her gaze, peering down into the canyon itself. A nevermore clung to a ledge on the cliff below, head tilted to glare up at her with one eye, glowing an all-too-familiar crimson.

It blinked.

Blake shivered. "They're… impressively lifelike," she said, turning back to the others.

Ruby was _vibrating,_ held in place only by Yang's firm hand on her shoulder. Petals pooled at her feet. "Ahhhhhhhhh," she breathed, venting like a reactor. "It's been _so long._ "

Weiss joined Blake at the railing, peering over it in clear shock. "This is… _much_ bigger than I was expecting."

Blake nodded, unease creeping up the back of her throat. She looked up, noting the grid of girders holding up the ceiling, the way they connected to huge pillars in the walls. The whole ceiling sloped, and through the web of support structures Blake could see stone peeking through, like the structure had been cut into the earth itself.

She shot a glance at Yang. "What are we even _seeing_ right now? There's no way this was built to house this exhibit. It's too big. Too sturdy."

"You're not wrong," Yang said. She dragged Ruby over to join the others at the railing, looking out over the patchwork landscape. "I think this place was built as a bunker, originally. If a Grimm attack overwhelmed the city's defenses, the people would evacuate here." She traced the slant of the ceiling with her finger. "We're not actually in the castle anymore, but under the park outside of it. The area was cleared for the shelter, and then later built up again overtop of it."

"I thought I noticed the floor sloping earlier," Weiss murmured, shaking her head in astonishment. "Still, why fill it with… this?"

"Honestly? I dunno. Maybe to find a use for the space in peacetime." Yang shrugged. "I always kinda guessed there was some big-money donor behind it, but I've never been sure." She grinned, tugging Ruby in front of her and wrapping her arms around Weiss and Blake, pulling them all together for a heartstopping moment. "Anyway, we've still got a couple hours. Let's go explore before Ruby has an adorable little aneurysm."

Blake fought down a troublesome little blush. "R-right."

They headed off.

* * *

Predictably, Ruby was in rare form, shooting finger guns at the Beowolf  and sticking her tongue out at the huffing Boarbatusk. The monsters snarled and spat at her—their breath smelled of burnt rubber and vinegar, just like the real thing—but made no move to attack.

"These are… animatronics?" Weiss ventured, as they passed under a fallen tree covered in moss. Yang nodded, just as an Ursa lumbered suddenly out of the brushes, opening its arms to full span and roaring. A couple of teens screamed and ran further down the path, but the huntresses weren't all that impressed.

Ruby grinned, pointing her deadly fingers at the bear-Grimm's face. "Buh-ba-blam!" she growled, clicking her thumbs menacingly like the hammers on two tiny revolvers.

Weiss wasn't quite sure _how_ she found that attractive, but she did. _Charming_ , was perhaps more the word? Either way, the Ursa seemed less than impressed, snuffling archly as it turned to lumber back into the brush and frighten yet another hapless museum-goer.

"They're _super_ sophisticated," Ruby said, breaking character to walk alongside them like a normal person for a moment. "Like, the museum actually used to sell the blueprints to the academies to make training dummies, but they're really expensive to make, so the only one that still uses them is—"

Weiss's eyes lit up. "Atlas! I knew these seemed familiar; I saw Winter fight some once, when she let me observe her training! They were made here?"

"Yup!" Ruby beamed. "Vale's own!"

"The museum's partnered up with Ozatta University," Yang said. "Mostly they just do Grimm research together, but the mechanical engineering students make these things as class projects."

"That's… fascinating," Blake said, pricking her ears up in surprise. "Why—"

A Creep dug itself out of the ground to her left, drawing her attention for a moment. It shrieked and sort of danced in her general direction, before leaping back into its hole.

Blake blinked, and tried again. "Why all the effort? As impressive as all this is, it… feels a bit wrong to put so much time and so many resources into something like this."

Weiss paused, peering at the hole where the Creep had vanished. Beady little eyes blinked back up at her. "I think I see your point," she said. "It's all so… _extravagant._ It's almost like…" she trailed off.

"…Like they're honoring the Grimm, rather than just depicting them?" Blake suggested.

Weiss snapped her fingers. "That's it, that's it _precisely._ Thank you, Blake."

Yang and Ruby appeared perplexed by the idea. "I dunno if I'd say _that,"_ Yang said. "It's… huh. I dunno. I guess it _is_ pretty weird. I definitely neer thought of it that way, though."

"Yeah, I guess you're right…" Ruby looked _really_ conflicted. The Creep burst out of the ground, and she studied it for a moment, as it wiggled and threatened and then eventually dived back in its hole again. "I mean it's educational, at least?" she said. She pulled out her scroll, showed them a button which had appeared, then pressed it. An holographic overlay expanded out from the touch, filling with text.

Weiss examined it curiously. "Creeps are small, burrowing Grim native to the caverns of Western Sanus…" she read.

"It's for kids, mostly," Ruby said. "The teachers at Signal took us on field trips here all the time as part of the Grimm Studies course! We got to see the labs and stuff too, but a lot of it was just walking around here and reading!" She stuck out her tongue. "And writing _reports."_

Yang bopped her sister on the head. "It _is_ a pretty good way to teach kids what Grimm are like, especially kids whose parents aren't hunters."

"Plus it's cathartic!" Ruby added. "It's hard to get a sense of what Grimm are like if you're not fighting them all the time, but this is a place where you can look at them without getting eaten!"

"Yeah," Yang said, "But like… _does_ that justify all this? I kinda feel what Blake was saying."

"I dunno," Ruby murmured. She looked to Weiss and Blake. "Atlas and Mistral really don't have museums like this?"

"Atlas does," Weiss said, tilting her head. "But I suppose the same criticism applies. I wouldn't have thought it strange a few years ago, but…"

Blake hummed distractedly, eyes roving the path ahead. "Vale's a strange place, sometimes," she mused.

The conversation drifted off as they carried on, and soon less-familiar Grimm started appearing along the path, creatures from the edges of Valish territory. Gryphons perched on a ledge overlooking the path, eerily silent. A pack of Kubinagi rustled as they stalked the team along the path, their scythe-claws twitching slightly as their compound eyes tracked the party through the brush.

Ruby, of course, reacted with sheer, childlike joy to the skittering horrors. "Oooh those ones must be new!" She flicked open her scroll, tapping the button to pull up the display. "Kubinagi are mid-sized insectoid grim local to the plains and moors of southern Vale and the savannahs of Western Anima," she mumbled as she read. "Despite a mantis-like appearance, they are pack-hunters which stalk their prey through the tall grasses, employing basic tactics such as pincer attacks to overwhelm foes." She grinned a feral little grin. "Oh that's _so cool!_ I wanna kill one!"

Yang gave a whole-body shudder as one of them darted past her shoulder, and moved immediately into the middle of the path. "Hell no. Bug Grimm are the worst. Veto on any missions to moors or plains."

"Awww," Ruby mumbled, turning her big cute silver eyes on Yang full blast. "But I wanna kill one…"

Yang stared back in raw incredulity. "You are _seventeen,_ Rubes, that's _not_ gonna work on me."

"But Yaaaaaang…"

* * *

The thick forests of the eastern limb of Sanus slowly gave way to the wider-spaced, twist-branched trees of central Anima. The Grimm were less familiar here, to everyone except Blake.

A Beringel beat its chest at them, and Blake sighed. _Long time since I've seen one of_ **_those_ ** _. And good riddance._

More and more familiar monsters, things she'd been told to run from, things she'd been taught how to kill. The huge eyes of a pair of Gomimushi peered out from the underbrush, exacerbating Yang's case of the heebie jeebies as they scuttled off on six long legs. Blake spotted a Motura hiding silently in the branches above. She pointed it out to Ruby, who got so excited at the sight she started trying to climb the trees.

They carried on for a while, past a pack of giggling Hellkits and pool full of Daggerfins, until the land cleared out, the trees thinning as tall grasses took their place. The Grimm changed to match, a few Hysteria cackling as they lounged atop a large rock, a Ziraph standing watch, three heads pivoting to search all angles of the landscape.

Then, as they rounded a thicket, Blake came face to face with a huge, bull-like creature.

A Tauroch.

She stopped, her eyes tracing the curve of its mask, the huge sharp teeth set into its massive jaws. It roared at her, but it was just a recording. Her ears were sharp enough to pick up the tinny signature of the speaker in its throat. It wasn't the real thing.

It was still fairly convincing, though.

"Everything okay, Blake?" Yang asked.

She sighed. _Well, we're all sharing stories today, aren't we?_ "I fought one of these, once."

Ruby popped up beside her. "Really? When? What was it like?"

The intensity put Blake on the back foot, but the sincere curiosity in those young eyes grounded her.

_If I'm going to even consider being in a relationship with this girl, I need to be able to tell her stuff like this._

_And even if not… maybe it'd be good, to tell someone these stories._

She spoke, soft but steady. "It was… back when I was in Mistral."

The words instantly grabbed everyone's interest. Blake didn't often speak of her time before Beacon, and she felt a familiar tingle of nerves at the attention the remark had earned. "I was fifteen. We…" she only hesitated an instant, before shutting her eyes and committing. "That is, the White Fang cell I was part of, was camped about sixty miles out from the border territories. We'd… just come off a bad fight, and… one of my friends, Jasmine, had just died of her wounds."

The scene played behind her eyes, and momentum kept her talking. "The grief brought it to us. We were ready for Grimm, but it was… so much bigger than I imagined. We were in a copse on the open savannah, to avoid being stalked, but a Tauroch doesn't bother to stalk. It broke from the far trees and just… charged across the field at us. Bullets didn't do anything, so we fanned out to split its attention and whittle it down."

She only realized how tight her knuckles were when someone touched them, a hand gently questing. She relaxed a bit, let small fingers weave with hers. Ruby's. An ache dissolved in Blake's chest, one she hadn't realized was there.

"It was one of the worst fights I've been in," she said. "Most of us weren't trained to fight Grimm. It killed three of us. Feldspar, the only healer in the local branch, got trampled right as it hit the camp. Umi, one of our top fighters, underestimated its strength and got snapped in half when she tried to take it head on. And Citrine… another close friend of mine…" Blake shook her head. "I didn't even see it, but I heard people say it ate her." Her voice cracked. "You know what happens then, right? What the inside of most Grimm is like?"

Nobody spoke, but she knew that they understood. Grimm didn't have digestive organs, not really. Most, save a few rare exceptions, just had… _furnaces_ behind their mouths.

Blake spoke again. "It almost got a few more. It managed to gore another of our strongest fighters, Ochre. It threw him thirty feet, and then came after me. I almost didn't make it."

"How did you?" Ruby's voice, soft and soothing, close at her side.

"I was saved." Blake's throat bobbed, as her hands tightened again, crushing those gentle fingers. "By… _Adam._ "

A quiet intake of breath from Yang. Those small fingers tensing just slightly. The latter was a surprise—Blake wasn't sure she'd ever mentioned that name around her leader before. She lifted her hand, tracing a line across the Tauroch's thigh. "He cut it right there, sent it sprawling just before it reached me. It started thrashing, but we managed to take the rest of its legs. Then it was just a question of distracting it and keeping it pinned while I climbed up its back and…" She mimed a downward stab, remembering the jolt of thick flesh parting, before disintegrating into so much intangible smoke."

"When you say Adam…" Weiss said, her voice calm but for the faintest shiver, "You mean… Adam Taurus?"

Blake smiled, opening her eyes to take in Weiss's stiff shoulders. "Yeah. He was… a friend, once." Weiss refrained from voicing the thoughts that stormed behind her eyes, but Blake could imagine them. _"Once,"_ she stressed. "That particular bridge is… _very_ burned."

Blake steeled herself, gazing up at the monster again to push the thoughts of her old partner from her head. "This is a good depiction. The one we fought had longer spines, and its horns were a little larger… but this is close."

The Tauroch snorted, almost as if acknowledging the comment.

Ruby's hand hadn't left hers.

Yang squeezed her shoulder, a little firmer than usual. Her eyes asked a silent, familiar question.

Blake kissed her, pulling her close, pressing their bodies together. It wasn't carnal, just… firm, grounding pressure. Exactly what Blake needed.

Blake tilted her head, pulling away while leaving their foreheads touching. "Thank you," she said, looking into Yang's eyes. "For… letting me tell that."

"Thank _you_ for trusting us with it," Weiss said, stepping closer to lay a hand on Blake's back.

Ruby nodded. "It's always okay to share this stuff! We're all happy to help you work through it."

Yang just grinned. "Always."

Blake's sight blurred with tears, and she pressed forward, wrapping one arm around Yang. Ruby, still holding her other hand, made a little indignant noise as she was yanked along.

Blake tilted her head back and offered the young girl a smile. "You can hug me too," she said.

Ruby beamed.

"Team hug," Yang declared. "Get in here, ice queen."

Being hugged by three people at once was a new experience. It was very warm, and it lasted… nowhere near long enough.

Yang was the first to break away, shooting the other three a grin as she whipped out her scroll and took a quick snapshot. "Nice." She swiped through her tabs, then started typing something. "Beowolf, Ursa, Borbatusk, Taijitu, Deathstalker, Nevermore, Creep, Gryphon—" She squinted in thought. "And now Tauroch."

"What are you doing?" Weiss asked as she pulled away next. She smoothed her dress out nonchalantly, leaving Ruby to nuzzle up to Blake's back, even as the four of them started walking. It was… a bit hard to maintain.

"Making a list of every type of Grimm team RWBY has killed," Yang said, like it wasn't strange at all. "Just to keep score. Any others?"

Blake smiled, shifting her balance to try and gently dislodge the limpet stuck to her back. "Some of the common types from Mistral: Gomimushi, Manticores… a couple Beringels."

"Ooooooo!" Ruby wiggled, hugging Blake even tighter. "That's sooooo cool! I've heard they're really scary!"

"They're strong, but they're not all that smart." Blake shrugged, and Ruby used the maneuver to turn the hug into a piggyback ride. Blake didn't comment or protest, but it _was_ an easier thing to maintain. And if she took notice of the way Ruby's skirt hiked up over her thighs, well, that was for her to know.

Ruby hummed, then suddenly tilted, unlatching one arm to wave at Yang. "Oh, Twistjacks! Remember when we were kids, and there was a whole nest of them in the woods just east of the house?"

Yang snorted. "A Twistjack barely even _counts._ We were what, like, fourteen and twelve? It wasn't even hard."

Even as she desperately tried to control her heart rate, Blake cocked her head at the unfamiliar name. "What's a Twistjack?"

Ruby's head whipped around, silver eyes seeking amongst the tall grass. "We already passed through Vale," she mused, "so I guess they don't have any here? They're not super common." She abruptly detached from Blake, darting around to stand in front of her. "So okay, picture like… a tiny Grimm snake, maybe three feet long?" She outlined this with her hands, tracing a squiggle in the air that Blake conceded was at least snake-adjacent.

"Now, instead of a mask, like most Grimm have," Ruby formed her hands into a wedge, wiggling them back and forth. "Imagine a big pointy bone spike for the head."

Blake blinked. "What?"

"And _then_ imagine that the snakey-body part coils up on the ground like a spring, like _byoinnnng!"_ Ruby grinned, rolling her eyes. "They're _dumb."_

Blake gave Ruby flat stare. "That cannot be real."

"Oh yeah," Yang rolled her eyes. "They're actually kinda dangerous _because_ nobody takes them seriously. Hunters sometimes even _skip_ taking care of Twistjack nests, but if one gets wound up and manages to hit someone without Aura…" She hissed through her teeth. "Yeah."

Ruby bounced over to her, peering past her shoulder. "Okay okay but what else!"

Blake hummed. "There was that Centurion, on our last mission with team JNPR."

Ruby frowned. "Yeah, but Pyrrha killed that one."

"Fair."

Weiss cleared her throat lightly into her fist, her cheeks a shade pinker. "Not to boast…"

Ruby's eyes lit up. "Ooooooh what was it?"

"An… I believe the proper term is 'Arma Gigas?' A Geist, possessing a large suit of armor."

Ruby and Yang's jaws both dropped. Blake couldn't blame them. "Wait, _what?_ That's…" Her ears lowered as she struggled to put the objection into words. "What do you mean 'large suit of armor?'"

"Well…" Weiss's eyes didn't meet anyone else's. "It was… one of the more dubious things Mantle did during the great war. Capturing Geists, placing them in large statues, and releasing them into enemy territory."

Ruby made a face. "Eugh."

"That's… awful," Blake agreed. She shook herself, refocusing on Weiss for a moment. "Why… _how_ did you fight one, then? You said they were made back during the Great War, how did one survive until today?"

Weiss's expression was hard to read, but Blake thought she caught anger and… fear? "Well… some of the suits still exist, and Geists are actually quite easy to capture if one knows what they're doing."

Yang's voice had a scratchy texture to it. "Who did this? Why?"

"My father, actually," Weiss said.

The whole temperature seemed to drop five degrees.

"Well, he thought it would be a good test of my skills. It was how I got him to let me leave for Beacon."

"That's…" Blake couldn't describe the emotions coiling in her gut, but they felt like tar and acid. "Heinous," she settled on.

"Seriously messed up," Yang agreed, moving to hug Weiss's shoulder. "I mean… on the one hand, I get wanting to make sure that your kid's up to the challenge of attending one of the academies, but a _Geist…"_

"Well, I _won,"_ Weiss grumbled. She wasn't leaning away from the touch—which honestly was becoming a running theme for tonight, Blake noted. "Though, it _was_ close."

"You were… sixteen?" Yang pressed.

"Almost seventeen, but yes." Weiss sighed. "And, well… I don't suppose it's come up, but… that was also how I acquired this."

She gestured to her left eye. The scar.

Blake had known Weiss so long that the mark hardly even registered anymore. It'd been a shock when they'd met—Blake had wondered where it came from, but had figured it was simply a childhood injury, that her makeup concealed it during public appearances.

Now, she couldn't unsee it if she tried. Blake's hand shook as the fury threatened to bubble over, her teeth grit in a snarl at the imagined scene. She fought for words, to say _something_ to express even a sliver of the emotions in her gut, but someone else beat her to it.

"Hey, Weiss?" Ruby said, her voice tight with anger it rarely carried. "You know how I said we should steal that painting earlier?"

Weiss lifted one eyebrow.

"We should definitely do that." Ruby's eyes narrowed. "And maybe bust up your dad's office or something. Or his car. Does he have a car? Six cars? That's a lot of tires to slash."

Weiss's lips twitched upwards in an indulgent smirk. "Seven cars."

"Ooooh, that's…" Ruby made a show of counting on her fingers. "Ten, twenty, twenty eight tires! Might be too much for me. Blake?"

Blake smirked, some of the anger fading, though a heavy layer of it still hovered beneath the surface. "I'll take the left tires, you take the right?"

"That sucks."

The jokes died.

Yang was rigid, almost brittle, her eyes blazing red as she gripped Weiss's shoulder, more for stability than comfort, now. "That fucking sucks, Weiss." She took a breath, clearly trying to calm herself, but just as clearly it wasn't going to work. "How could he make you fight something like that? Something so dangerous it broke your aura and marked you for _life?_ What kinda of father _does_ something like that…?"

Weiss quickly transformed the arms-length contact into an embrace. "Hey," she soothed, placing her hands gently on the taller girl's back, working small circles with her thumbs. "It's alright." 

Yang's breath hitched, but after a moment her hands settled on pale shoulders. "No it's not. It's _so,_ not, Weiss."

Weiss held her stare, her expression calm as Blue and Red warred in silent struggle, but after a moment the Red broke, shifted, and mixed back down to lilac. "It's been a long time," Weiss said, "since he's had that kind of power over me." 

"It's still unacceptable," Yang growled, eyes flaring back up. "He's your fucking _dad,_ he should…" she paused, exhaling, as the fire died back again. "He should be better. You _deserve_ better."

"Thank you. And, maybe you're right. But he isn't, and in the end I don't _need_ him to be." Weiss's hands tightened. "I'm much stronger now than I was back then, and…"

She chanced a glance at Ruby and Blake, before turning back to Yang with wide, open eyes, and a smile that could put out any inferno.

"Well, I have the three of you with me."

Blake swallowed. She knew her cheeks were burning, but so were everyone's, now that she noticed. Weiss, Yang, and Ruby all wore it different ways, but the affection… the _love_ in their eyes was the same.

For a brief instant Blake saw a glimmer. Like a web between them, shining, asymmetrical, complicated, and… _beautiful._

Yang was the first to break the silence, letting out a long, shaky sigh. "Dammit, okay. Sorry for getting mad. Bad parents are a touchy subject for me."

"I know," Weiss said, shifting away. "I'm sorry to have brought it—"

"Nuh uh. Don't you even _start_ with that bullshit," Yang said. Her tone held zero ire, but it shut the apology down hard. "You can always talk about it. I'm not upset that you're talking about it, I'm upset that he's treated you like that in the first place."

Weiss shook her head. "Better me than—"

"And none of that, either," Yang said. "You did nothing to deserve that kind of abuse. There's nothing you _could_ have done to deserve it, and even if there was, even if there was some way for you to be _so bad_ that you deserved Jacques Schnee for a father, you _aren't_ . You are a magnificent, intelligent, beautiful woman who's barely hit twenty and is already trying her damnedest to fix the world. You've come so far and grown so much that I barely recognize you as the same girl I got stuck on a team with two years ago, and I am proud of that. I'm _proud_ to call you one of my closest friends."

Yang finished, and Weiss just _stared into her eyes_ like she could find the universe in there. They stayed like that for a long time, long enough for it to be weird, but neither of them seemed to notice that fact. Blake did, though.

She let slip a little smirk. _Oh I've_ **_been_ ** _there, Weiss, but if you're trying to hide that little crush of yours, you're not doing a great job._

Whether Ruby was thinking the same thing or not wasn't wholly clear, but after another few seconds she _did_ shatter the silence. "Awwwwwwwww… gay."

Weiss ratcheted her gaze over to Ruby, her eyes narrowed in baleful menace. "Bisexual, dolt."

Yang wheezed out a laugh, and Blake found herself grinning so hard her teeth hurt. "Awwwwwww," she droned. "Bisexual."

Yang started cackling, losing her balance and nearly dragging Weiss to the ground with her. Weiss reacted reasonably, hurling the brute off her in momentary panic and directly into Blake's arms. Blake had to take a step back to catch her, as Yang wrapped her arms around her girlfriend instead.

 _"Dolts!"_ Weiss intoned, straightening her dress with a jittery huff. "All of you. Absolute _dolts._ "

"We're dolts!" Yang cheered, throwing her arms into the air without regard to Blake's balance. Thankfully, Blake had a lot of balance.

"Consider us honored," Blake said, peering around her large and very heavy girlfriend, making very deliberate eye contact with Weiss. "I'm a little surprised though; wasn't that was _Ruby's_ word?"

Weiss's eyes shot wide. "Um," she said, and struggled to follow it up with an actual response. Blake relished the moment, before shooting Weiss a quick wink. This did not help Weiss's composure in the slightest.

"I-it's just that you've been such a help," Weiss said, trying in vain to hold herself together. "You know, in…" she made a vague gesture, "...ways."

Yang disentangled herself and stood on her own feet, glancing at Weiss in fascination before shooting Blake an ' _are you seeing this shit?'_ type of look.

Blake tossed her girlfriend a smile from the corner of her mouth. _I think we've made enough of a point for now._ "Well, I appreciate it," she said.

"Truly an honor," Yang agreed, dropping into an exaggerated curtsy. Which, looked rather silly when someone as _large_ as her did it.

"Yes, well, _good,"_ Weiss said, coughing as she straightened her collar.

* * *

They'd passed into northern Anima at some point, the grasslands fading into snowy forests. A brook wove alongside the path, weaving under the occasional bridge. Manticores circled in the air above them, as Wendigoes slunk through the forests around them, hissing and chittering.

The Apathy snuck up on them, appearing along the path in small numbers at first, hidden well, before appearing in larger and larger clusters. Weiss shivered at the realization, shifting closer to Blake without realizing it. In a moment of boldness, she brushed their hands together. She didn't expect Blake to grasp her hand, but she also didn't pull back.

Her heart pulsed a staccato beat.

They hit Solitas next, and Weiss felt a strange sense of unease. The familiar fir trees and even more familiar monsters were dredging up memories that speaking of the Gigas had only started to reveal.

She was still holding Blake's hand, and so far no one had really acknowledged it. Ruby walked ahead of them, seemingly lost in her own world, and Yang at Blake's other side, hadn't said anything for a while now.

She focused on the familiar grimm, smiling as she recognized the regional variant of Beowolf, its thick collar of fur looking shockingly soft in replica.

"Aww," Ruby murmured, noticing the same. "Cute." It snorted at her, long tongue sliding hungrily over its teeth.

Blake snickered, and Yang shook her head with a smirk on her face. "Weird, Rubes."

"Hey!" Ruby pouted. "Even Grimm gotta stay warm and cozy!"

"They're… literally monsters," Weiss intoned, smiling teasingly. "About as absolutely as can be. We _kill them_ for a living."

The Beowolf snapped its jaws, growling low in the back of its throat as if to emphasize the point.

"Well _yeah,_ but that doesn't mean they shouldn't be _warm,"_ Ruby said, as if that made any discernible sense.

They slipped into silence, continuing past spine-backed Pinefurs and a Centinela de Nieve, tall and gaunt with its one long, bladed arm.

"Ah," Weiss murmured. "One of those, too."

Yang peered past Blake in surprise. "You killed a Centinela de Nieve? Aren't they like, _super_ rare?"

"It stumbled onto the training field while I was practicing," Weiss explained. "It wasn't very difficult, actually. They're quite susceptible to fire, and as long as you can keep them at range they can't really do anything but scream at you."

"That's still impressive," Blake said. "I've fought one, but couldn't kill it."

"You were in Solitas?" Weiss asked, realizing her mistake after she asked. "Sorry, I shouldn't pry…"

Blake shook her head, shooting Weiss a smile. "Only for a couple of months. I was thinking about transferring there, but… cold."

"Cold," Ruby murmured.

"Cold," Yang agreed.

Weiss rolled her eyes. "You three are such babies. A little cold never hurt anyone."

"Sure, ice queen," Yang teased, smirk suddenly out in force. "Though I bet us southern _bumpkins_ could teach you a bit about _warmth,_ if you know what I mean." She waggled her eyebrows again.

Weiss was sorely tempted to call the bluff there, but then Ruby stopped dead.

"Wow…"

They followed her gaze, up to another pair of glowing eyes.

A wolf. Lithe muscle shrouded in thick black fur. Mask as white as the snow around it with spiraling, almost gentle curls etched into the face. It was twice Yang's height easily, and probably four times as long going back. Four black paws splayed in the snow.

It stared down at them, its eyes tracking them, flicking between. Astonishingly lifelike.

"A Padwalker," Weiss spoke the name soft, like she hardly dared utter it.

Ruby stepped forward, until she was nose to nose with it. "It's _beautiful,"_ she said, but the words didn't sound right. Her voice was faint, somber, almost sorrowful. It sounded _wrong_ coming from her, and Weiss immediately released Blake to go to her side.

Ruby was crying.

The red light of the lamps cast strange shadows across her face. "Why is it beautiful? Why does it _need_ to be beautiful?"

"What's wrong, Ruby?" Blake said, slipping up to her other side, making quiet contact. Yang was behind her, not quite touching, but ready to give her a hug the instant it felt necessary.

"Sorry, I know I'm being dumb, it's just…" Ruby shook her head. "It just… gets me, sometimes, y'know? Where did the Grimm _come_ from?"

Yang took a breath, setting her hand on her sister's back. "I dunno, sis. I've always thought of them like a force of nature. Like, a hurricane, or like a landslide, but… they're really not, are they?"

Weiss reached into her pocket and offered Ruby a handkerchief. She took it gratefully, wiping her tears and blowing her nose.

"Do you need a minute?" Blake asked. She gestured to a bench, off to the side of the path, and Ruby nodded. They headed over and sat down. Ruby between Weiss and Yang, with Blake at the latter's side.

It took Ruby a little while to find her words. "It's just…" she began. "Sometimes I think like that too, like they're just this natural thing, but… it never feels right." She stared a moment longer, into eyes as red as blood. "I've always thought it was… really fascinating. That the world is this big, beautiful place… but it's filled with these monsters so horrible we have to hide away behind walls, train for years to fight them off. To me they don't feel like water, or rocks. It's more like… like a disease. Like the whole world has cancer."

Weiss swallowed, clutching Ruby's hand tight. "That's… quite dark."

Ruby cracked a strange smile. "Well, so are the Grimm, right?"

"I didn't realize you thought like that," Blake said. "A minute ago you were calling them cute. You have a plushie collection. That's… an odd way to behave around cancer."

"It's… easier." Ruby sighed. "It's a lot to unpack I guess, but I think… I think if I wasn't a huntress, if I didn't have Crescent Rose, if I wasn't as strong as I am… I don't think I could handle living in this world."

She leaned on Weiss's shoulder. "My mom _died_ fighting these things. There's not a week that goes by that I don't think about that, y'know? I could die. You _all_ could die. Anyone we know, anyone we _don't_ know could _die._ Just…  traveling to visit their grandmother in the next town over, or when someone doesn't defend their house well enough. Or, just because they slipped up… because someone else died, and they were grieving in the wrong place. It scares me so much.

"But, I don't _want_ to be afraid. So, I got interested in them. Learned about them. Started finding them cute, and making jokes. And, more than that, learned to _beat_ them. Over and over, overwhelmingly." Ruby looked up at the Padwalker. "It helps. I don't have nightmares about them anymore, because on this real, visceral level I _know_ that I can face them, and I can _win._ "

No one spoke for a while, but Blake reached across Yang's back to put a hand on Ruby's shoulder. Yang smiled, shifting to squeeze them all together a bit more, surrounding their young leader with warmth for a moment.

"I'm so proud of you, sis," Yang said, shaking her head. "You've got no idea."

"Awww," Ruby murmured, burying her face in Weiss's shoulder. "Thank."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "You know we can take care of ourselves as well, right?"

"And each other," Blake said. "You don't ever have to face the monsters alone."

"Mhmm." Ruby sat up. "I… don't want to do it alone," she said. Her voice shook. "Not ever. But… we're graduating soon. Less than two years left. I… I know you all have plans. Big things you need to do, and—"

"I'm not leaving," Blake said.

A pause.

"Me neither," Weiss said. "I may have my own lofty goals to achieve, but they're nothing I can't do as a member of team RWBY."

Ruby's breath caught, her eyes misting up.

"Hell, why not? It's not like I have plans either." Yang threw her arms around her sister, hugging her tight. "I'm not going anywhere, sis. None of us are."

"G-guys…" Ruby's voice trembled as she hugged her sister back. "I'm gonna cry again!"

"Oh noooo," Blake drawled, smiling as she hugged Yang from behind, reaching to encircle Ruby as well.

"I suppose you'll just have to cry, then," Weiss said. She completed the embrace, pulling them all together on the bench, encasing Ruby in a cocoon of warmth.

Ruby sniffled into Yang's dress. "I love you guys. All of you."

The words were so small, they hardly registered at first.

Ruby sat up, pulling away from Yang's suddenly stiff embrace. She had tears in her eyes, but she wiped them away. "I mean that," she said. "You three are family to me."

"I am literally your sister," Yang said, cracking half a smile.

"You are _literally_ my sister," Ruby grinned, just for a moment. "But… Weiss, I love you too, in the _big_ way. I want to spend as long as I can with you."

Her eyes lifted, and she swallowed back the last of her fear.

"And Blake? I feel the same way about you too. The… _big way_."

Another silence.

Yang let out the longest, slowest, heaviest sigh any of them had ever heard.

She pressed her hands to her head, massaging her temples. "We all need to have a talk, don't we?" she said, measuring out her words. "Like, a long, _honest_ talk."

Ruby laughed, anxiety straining her voice. "Yeah, pretty much." She turned, smiling apologetically. "Sorry, Weiss."

Weiss cuffed her gently over the head. "Dolt," she huffed. "You were supposed to take things _slow."_

"Yeah this one's definitely on me." Ruby grinned, turning back to Blake. "Sorry for putting you on the spot."

Blake was full deer-in-headlights staring at Ruby. "It's fine," she said, a hysterical smile cracking the corner of her mouth.

"A _long_ talk," Yang repeated. "Long. _Hours."_

Ruby looked at them each in turn with open eyes, then stood. "Why don't we go for a walk in the park?" she said. "It's almost closing time anyway."

The Padwalker watched them go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sup sup sup this chapter is as long as 1/4 as long as the rest of the work combined. I hope people liked it!
> 
> I've come up with so many Grimm for this one, you have no idea. Ziraphs are from the After The Fall novel, and Centurions are something FriendofYggdrasil came up with for I Will Not Scatter, but the rest are mine I think. There are actually a few more designs that didn't make the cut, but I'm planning to have a few of them show up later anyway, so stay tuned!
> 
> Of note:  
> Kubinagi literally means "neck cutter."  
> Gomimushi is literally "ground beetle" but there's a sort of double-meaning which can be used as an insult.  
> Centinela de Nieve should be Spanish for "Sentinel of Snow." Original was "Yuki no Heishi," but then it was pointed out that A) that was kinda dumb, and B) I had somehow put 3 Japanese-language Grimm in this chapter and NONE of the ones I named (badly) in other languages, so I figured, fuck it.
> 
> I should probably stick to naming things in languages that are closer to being mutually intelligible with English from now on.
> 
> Thanks to Sgt. Chrysalis and now SeventeenFables for the beta! This one was a heavy load, but we're in the final stretch now!
> 
> And of course, thanks for reading!
> 
> Edit: Thanks to DschingisKhan for correcting my terrible Japanese.


	13. Chapter 13

The sun was on its way down as they left the museum, casting long shadows from the slopes and spires of the old castle. Vale bustled, the end of rush hour churning the streets, but for the four huntresses-in-training who crossed the road into Ozatta park, it all might as well have been an abandoned ruin.

They crossed the round stone plaza at the entrance, ignoring the people and the benches there. Only Ruby took note of the statues, particularly the park's namesake. Headmistress Ozatta, the second to preside over Beacon.

The old woman in bronze smiled down at the girls, and Ruby wondered why her face seemed so familiar. She smiled back, though, and gave the statue a little wave. It might be a bit strange, but she'd take any moral support she could get right now.

Once they were past the plaza though, Ruby quickly found her eyes falling to the back of her sister's head again. Yang hadn't said much since they left the museum, but her posture spoke a great deal in its own language; tension bound her shoulders, her stance closed off. It wasn't quite  _ anger— _ Ruby knew Angry Yang pretty well at this point—but this wasn't Happy Yang either. This was  _ Serious Yang _ , or some subspecies thereof.

Honestly, that was probably a good sign, even if she did look like she was psyching herself up to go to war.

Ruby hoped there wouldn't be any sort of war tonight.

* * *

The rough concrete path that wound through the park was just barely traversable in heels. Which was good, because Weiss was having a hard enough time keeping herself going as it was.

She wanted to say something, but her voice was locked up tight. She wanted to cling to Ruby, at  _ least  _ to Ruby, but her arms were pinned across her chest, fingers digging into biceps, not quite hard enough to hurt.

_ It wasn't supposed to come out like this. It's too soon, too fast, and now… what will they say? What will we all do? Will this be the start of something really excellent, or will it tear us all apart? _

_ What will become of us? _

Weiss took a breath, centering herself. She looked to Blake, found the same worry echoed in her eyes.

_ She's probably feeling about how I am right now. _

_ Which is to say… _

She swallowed, dragging her gaze to focus on Yang's back.

_ It's all up to her, now. We stand on a razor's edge and Yang is the one holding it. _

* * *

Blake kept the rest at a distance as they delved deeper into the forest. She'd wanted to at least stay close to Yang, but her hopefully-still-girlfriend's posture told Blake that a little space was probably good right about now.

In silence, her mind revved and spun.  _ Did I fuck up? Did Ruby fuck up? _ She squeezed her eyes shut.  _ No, focus. Yang said a  _ **_talk._ ** _ And she said it in a snarky way. Snark is good, it means she's probably not actually that angry—her eyes weren't red either. _

_ But still… _ Blake's eyes cast down.  _ This is my fault, isn't it? I should have reigned myself in more. I should have brought up my feelings with Yang earlier. And now… what's she going to say. Is she angry? With who? Am I going to have to admit to my feelings? What's going to happen then? _

_ I don't want to have to run away again. _

The path bent, and as they turned the corner, Team RWBY reached their destination.

* * *

Four girls paused, staring out at the lake. The surface was gold in the fading sunlight, framed by far off buildings. Flowers bloomed along the waterside. Roses, gardenias, mallows.

Yang started along the path, passing first one bench, then another, before slowing at a third. A row of sunflowers stood behind it.

_ It really is just like it was back then.  _ She sat down, her hand trailing across the old wood, finding familiar grooves.  _ It's been so long, but I guess if I haven't forgotten it by now, maybe I never will. _

She shook off the memory, looking up at her nervous teammates, all sort of standing around awkwardly while she stared off into the distance all dramatic-like.  _ Nerds. We are all, ultimately, incurable, ridiculous nerds in our own, special ways. _

It fell to her to break the silence, so she did. "Wow, you guys really do have social anxiety, huh."

Blake laughed. Weiss managed a smile.

Ruby… didn't. If anything, the joke seemed to galvanize her.

"So," she said. She sounded… grown up. It surprised Yang, even though she knew it shouldn't have. "Time to talk?"

She sat down on the bench beside Yang, and Weiss joined her. Blake hesitated, but Yang waved her in, shooting her a reassuring smile. Something invisible fell off Blake's shoulders, and she practically leapt to Yang's side, hugging her close.

"Geez," Yang murmured, stroking her hair gently. "Sorry, Blakey."

"S'okay," Blake said. She took a good long _ deep _ stare at Yang before finding her words again. "So… who's going first?"

Ruby wiggled nervously, her earlier composure seemingly crumbling apart. "Wellllll… I already spilled my guts back at the museum so  _ not it!" _

"Oh that is  _ not  _ fair," Weiss snapped. "You're our leader, if anything you should take some responsibility for—" She shut her mouth, closing her eyes forcefully. " _ Not _ helping. Sorry." She sighed, deflating into a deeply uncharacteristic slump. "This is all my fault anyway, might as well be me who starts this off."

Yang's eyebrows lifted, but she didn't comment, instead raising a hand in an encouraging gesture.

Weiss turned her eyes to steel. Her voice was calm, and clear, the only evidence of the terror inside her being the way she was picking at her cuticles. "When… Ruby asked me out last night, we had a conversation, and I told her a few things I'd thought I'd never tell anyone." She froze, looking for a moment like a paused recording, then slowly continued, her voice sounding a little too smooth, a little too practiced.

"The simple version is… while I absolutely reciprocate Ruby's feelings for myself, I cannot deny that I have feelings for two others as well." Her lips tilted, tone building back towards the one she'd been teasing them with all day. "I don't suppose I need to specify who?"

Yang shook her head. "I'd like it if you did, actually," she said, staring Weiss dead in the eyes. Something in that pale facade cracked, and Yang steeled herself against the guilt that stirred up. "Weiss, I'm going to be really,  _ really  _ real with you? Quit being coy about this. No obfuscations, no wordplay. Say what you mean."

For the span of a breath Weiss looked like she'd been hit by a car, but she recovered admirably quickly, considering. "Alright," she said, taking a moment to compose herself, then— "I have feelings for the two of you, Yang and Blake, which are romantic in nature." She swallowed. "I… I had no intention of acting on these feelings, mind you, I just—"

Yang held up a hand. "Weiss," she said, her expression softening, "it's okay. Thank you for telling us."

Weiss squinted at her, seeming puzzled, but Yang kept her hand raised, and looked down at the girl clinging to her body for dear life. "Blake? You got something to say?"

"In my defense," Blake said. "She's  _ incredibly  _ cute when she's flustered."

Yang chuckled, she couldn't  _ not,  _ but still.  _ No double standards, not even for her. _ "Blakey, c'mon."

"…Fine." Blake's arms tightened, just slightly. She knew this routine. This wasn't the first time she and Yang had needed to have a tough conversation, after all. "I have… feelings for Weiss too… and for Ruby."

"Alright. Thank you," Yang said. She turned her gaze on her sister. "And, just to be thorough: You have feelings for Blake as well as Weiss. That right?"

Ruby nodded. Looking nervous but not nearly as stretched-thin as their respective girlfriends. "Yup!"

Yang felt a spike of something awful in her gut, but she knew she had to ask. "And… what about me?"

Ruby, to her eternal credit, took a second to understand the question. When she did, she turned an astounding shade of green. "OH HELL NO!"

Yang let out the biggest sigh of relief she'd ever breathed in her life. "Oh thank god," she wheezed. "And all the other gods too. Every one of them."

"You seriously thought—" Ruby made an exaggerated barfing noise. "Ew, Yang! EW."

Yang couldn't stop herself. She laughed, hard. "Whoooo! Okay, sorry! Okay." She relaxed back into Blake's arms. "Good. Awesome."

A pause took place, during which Yang gradually found herself becoming the center of attention. The sun was all but down, just the faintest hint of red lighting a couple of contrails hanging in the purple sky. The wind swept gently across the surface of the lake, tiny waves lapping the beach as the sounds of insects rose. A pair of ducks waded out of the water, followed by their ducklings. They were cute. The world was peaceful. All was at rest—

"Yaaaaaang," Ruby moaned. "That's mean. You can't just… that's  _ so  _ mean."

Yang smirked.  _ Heh heh heh. _

"You  _ dolt," _ Weiss muttered, her cheeks red hot. "No,  _ lout.  _ Lout is your word now. I can't believe you got us all worked up just so you could  _ sit  _ there, teasing us—"

"I can," Blake muttered. She raised a fist and bopped Yang on the head. "Your turn, babe. C'mon."

"I dunno what you're talking about," Yang lied through her grinning teeth.

"Yang." Blake wasn't smiling anymore.

"...Okay, okay." Yang sighed and shut her eyes. "No being coy. Sorry, that was… that was kinda shitty. Truth is, I'm nervous about this too."

She opened them again, and looked at Weiss.

And  _ wow, okay _ , if she was in an admitting-things-to-herself sort of mood, Weiss was  _ hot.  _ That  _ dress  _ alone was absolutely gorgeous, but the girl under it was… mmm. Yang liked to think she was better than petty lasciviousness, but if she let that wall down for even an  _ instant,  _ she started noticing these things.

But the physical was hardly the half of it, right?

Yang suppressed all her worries—for the moment—and spoke the honest truth while looking into Weiss's beautiful eyes. "Truth is, I feel the same way. I have a pretty fucking big crush on you, Weiss."

The look on Weiss's face at that moment would stay burned in Yang's mind forever. 

"Great!" Ruby pumped a fist in the air.

Yang held up a finger. "Not great. Not yet."

Ruby pouted, but she settled back into sober silence.

Yang took a good hard look at all of them. "We all have fun together, obviously," she said. "I mean, it's a core part of our relationships, how we communicate on a daily basis. But this, right here? This is how we do things when they matter. No getting lost in flirting, double-meanings, innuendos, witty repartee. That stuff is great, you all know I love it as much as any of you, but far as I'm concerned this conversation is as serious as any life-or-death battle we've ever fought. I'll give you direct answers, and I expect you all to return that courtesy. Cool?"

They nodded. She could see the nerves subsiding a little, as they started to understand where she was at. She smiled, in what she hoped as a reassuring manner. "Alright then. I think it'd be good if we had a round of Q&A. Anyone has questions, wants clarification on stuff, they get it. You can hold stuff back if you really want to, but give us a reason when you do. Fair?"

"Good with me," Blake said. She was familiar with this; she and Yang had held more than one conversation this way. Ruby and Weiss, being generally quick on the uptake, nodded in kind.

"Okay," Yang said. "I'll start, because I'm pretty sure I have the  _ most  _ questions at this point. First—" she looked to Weiss and Ruby, feeling her eyes flicker towards the red, "—what were you two planning,  _ exactly? _ Ruby, you suggested the double-date. Why."

Ruby swallowed, but she didn't look away. "Honestly, it was a spur of the moment thing. I thought it would be fun, but I didn't… we were planning on waiting. Getting our relationship together and bringing up our  _ other  _ feelings later, when the two of us were on steadier ground."

"Absolutely," Weiss agreed. "We had no intention of… more or less any of what's happened in the last several hours. We just…" she smiled, sheepish. "Got a bit carried away?"

Yang snorted, her anger dying back down as she shook her head in amusement. "Alright. So you talked about having feelings for me and Blake between each other, got excited, and things snowballed from there?" She grimaced a little, but it was only fair she clarified her concern. "More importantly, no secret plans to seduce Blake and/or me, or manipulate our existing relationship?"

Weiss's mouth dropped open in horror. Ruby just met Yang's eyes firmly and shook her head. "Nope. That's dumb and terrible. Besides, you two are great together and we one hundred percent don't want to split you up! That's super important to both of us."

Yang let out a relieved sigh. _Worst case scenario averted._ She honestly felt a little guilty for thinking the two of them capable of that kind of fuckery. "Thank you," she said, smiling appreciatively. "For what it's worth, I think you guys actually handled this pretty well, considering. The fact that you talked about it between each other is a good thing, though it does lead me to my next question…" She took a breath, wrenching herself into a new moment. "Blake. With Ruby I get the hesitation, but why didn't you tell me you had feelings for Weiss?"

Blake clutched sharply at Yang's side. Her voice shook. "Because I was terrified. I honestly thought you'd dump me on the spot."

Yang's eyes widened as she looked at her girlfriend in shock. "Blakey…"

Blake wiped away tears with the back of her hand, leaving her eyes red and raw. "I know I should have said something about it, and I know it was silly to worry like that, but I…"

Yang wrapped her in a big hug. "Hey, hey, it's okay," she soothed. "Thank you for telling me now. I'm really grateful this is out in the open."

Blake hiccuped, holding on even tighter. "Mhmm."

Yang drifted her fingers through Blake's hair, gently stroking the base of her laid-flat ears. She continued doing so, until Blake's breathing steadied out a little, and planted a kiss on her forehead as they finally pulled back.

"You can always talk to me," Yang said, looking deep into her eyes. "About  _ anything, _ and  _ especially  _ about something that's been eating you up inside as much as this obviously has."

Blake nodded. "I know. I… should have known. You're just…"

Yang smiled, pressing their foreheads together. This wasn't the first time they'd hit this kind of roadblock, and it wouldn't be the last. "I know, Blakey. I know. But it's in the open now, so it's okay. Just tell me sooner next time, okay?"

"Mhmm."

"You want to go next?"

Blake bobbed her head, shooting Yang a lopsided smile as she pulled back. She took a long breath to resolve herself, counting seconds on her fingers. "So first… Yang, Ruby: How do you two feel about… this." She made a complicated gesture between the four of them.

"You mean how do I feel about dating someone who's also in love with Yang?" Ruby asked. Yang was momentarily impressed she'd parsed it out so quick. "I'm totally fine with it! Doesn't bother me at all."

Blake's face lit up, but it didn't stay that way as she turned to Yang. "You don't have to say the same," she said. "For the record."

Yang shuddered. Even if saying no was "okay," the consequences hurt to think about. It took quite a lot of self-discipline to stop that gut reaction, to make herself really consider the question at hand.

_ Am I okay dating someone who has feelings for my sister? Hell, let's be real about the direction this is going—am I okay with dating someone  _ **_my sister is dating?_ **

She sighed.  _ No… no, back up. That's  _ **_not_ ** _ the question. That's a whole other set of questions, much bigger and much scarier than what Blake's asking right now. We'll have to confront them eventually, but for right now I should focus on what Blake's actually asking me. Honest and straightforward…  _

_ Knowing what I now know, am I still okay with dating  _ **_Blake?_ **

That, at least, she could answer.

"Probably," she said. "I still love you, and I want to keep dating you, and I don't  _ think  _ your feelings for Ruby will hurt me… but bear in mind this is uncharted territory for me. For  _ all of us _ ." She directed a pointed glance at Ruby. "I want to promise you this will all work out wonderful, but we should all know by now that's not the kind of thing you can ever guarantee."

Blake nodded, accepting the answer without question or comment. Yang felt a pang.. She wished she could just give a simple yes, could just promise Blake the world like she wanted to…

_ But we both know what it's like to have a promise broken. _

Still, Blake seemed steadier as she turned her attention to Ruby and Weiss. "Okay, next question." Her ears lay flat, her voice taking a panicked edge. "Did you two know about Team CFVY? Because I had  _ no  _ idea."

Yang's jaw dropped.  _ What. _

"Oh! OH!" Ruby started laughing. "I forgot! I can't believe I _forgot!"_ The laughter devolved into cackles, then something even less coherent, as Weiss looked on her and Blake with abject bewilderment. 

"What's this about team CFV—" She stopped, and her eyes did their best dinner-plate impression. Her cheeks were dressed as stoplights. "Ah. I see. That… answers quite a few questions, I suppose."

_ "Oh thank the gods." _ Blake sagged, raising one fist above her head. "Solidarity in ignorance."

Weiss raised her own. "Cheers to that."

Yang raised her hand, in the opposite of solidarity. "Wait, hang on. Sorry to break into your turn, but… why is Team CFVY coming up  _ now?" _

Blake bit her lip, flushing as she hunched in on herself.  _ "Well,  _ Velvet is one of my closest friends, and I text her pretty often about advice with regards to…  _ feelings. _ Then—Yang, do you remember that party we had in their dorm last year?"

Yang nodded.

"So after you fell asleep, we continued that game of Truth or Dare." Blake looked like she wanted collapse into a black hole right on the park bench. "And Fox asks 'so who do you have a crush on,' and I… well, I told the truth. And Coco told me if I ever needed advice about handling romantic feelings, I should feel free and message them." She sighed. "In hindsight, now I understand why she suggested messaging  _ all four of them." _

Ruby giggled. "Awwww… that's really sweet actually!"

"…Wait, so you didn't  _ know  _ they were…" Yang wrestled with the idea that anyone could  _ miss  _ what was going on with Team CFVY.

"Not until today." Blake folded, laying her head in her hands. "My feelings were making things rough, so I texted them for moral support. It wasn't until we hit the gallery that we realized we were… on different wavelengths."

Yang got her head to stop spinning long enough to consider the implications of that. "So… what  _ was  _ their advice?"

Blake managed somehow to compress herself even further.  _ "Well,  _ they were… very supportive. Of me. And, uh.  _ Us. _ "

Yang groaned. "Why am I not surprised."

"The last few hours have been…  _ exciting," _ Blake murmured. "Anyway, I think that's all the questions I'm up to asking right now."

Weiss shifted uneasily. "May I go next, then?"

Blake nodded, and all eyes fell on the girl in the starry dress.

"Then I'll cut right to the core of it," Weiss said. "We've established our feelings, that we are romantically interested in one another." She looked at them—Ruby, Yang, Blake, each in turn. "What are we going to  _ do  _ about it?"

Yang blew out a long sigh. She looked up, up at the sky, up at the stars that shone above the park. The sunset was over, but honestly she didn't mind all that much. There would be plenty of sunsets, but this night, this  _ moment, _ was only going to happen once.

_ How the hell did I end up here? _ She thought back along the line of choices, the places where things branched. She tried to imagine the odds: all of them making it to Beacon the same year, all of them being put on the same team.

What were the odds they'd all fall in love with each other?

She closed her eyes, giving up the cosmos and letting herself crash back into the real world. She had to think rationally, here.

"Ruby and I are close, even for sisters."

She hated the words, hated that she had to say them, but she did.

"Blake, Weiss, your feelings for both of us are one thing, but  _ dating… _ that's something else. By necessity, we'd become even closer. It might even force us to share parts of our sexualities with each other. Would that be healthy?  **Can** that be healthy, for Ruby? For me? I don't know. I  **can't** know. If there's a guidebook for this sort of thing, I haven't read it."

She left another part unspoken.  _ Ruby's not even eighteen yet. She's barely had her first relationship; is she ready for something this complicated? Something this  _ **_big?_ ** _ Saying no to this might hurt her, but… maybe it's what I have to do. _

 "Maybe it'd be best if we just… let this go," Yang said. "At least for a while." She glanced at Weiss, and immediately looked away, unable to bear the hurt in those eyes. "I just… there's just too much at stake. This falls apart, we'll  _ all  _ get hurt. It could shatter the team completely, shatter  _ us,  _ as people. I just don't think—"

The bench creaked.

Ruby walked to the edge of the water, staring across it. The moon was rising—tonight was a full shatter, and the fragments reflected in the ripples.

"I was thinking earlier," Ruby said. "About what the average life expectancy for a huntress is like."

The wind rushed through the silence, vibrating the molecules in Yang's skin.

"I think about it a lot," Ruby said. "I'm not really all that much of a romantic. There are honestly three people I've ever felt this way about in my life. Two of them are right here.

She lowered her head, squaring her shoulders. "Weiss, Blake… maybe it's just that I'm closer with them than anybody else, but I want to spend every second I can with them… With both of you. And… I'm not sure how much time that even  _ is _ ."

"Ruby…" Weiss started to get up, as if to go comfort her. 

"I'm not saying this because it hurts," Ruby said. "I'm making a point." She turned around, revealing iron-hard determination in her glittering eyes. "I'm saying… I want to be able to love you." Her eyes shifted, landing on Yang with force. "And I don't want to wait just because you think I'm not ready to handle it."

"Rubes…" Yang said, shifting. "I didn't mean—"

"Didn't you?" It wasn't bitter, Ruby wasn't ever bitter, but… Yang hung her head, and that was all the confirmation her sister needed. 

Still, Ruby smiled, her voice light and gentle. "I know it won't be easy," Ruby said. "But what is? What part of our lives has ever been easy? The only easy times I've ever had, have been because  _ you  _ were making things harder for yourself."

Yang winced, but she couldn't deny it. "You're my baby sister," she said, her throat tight. "I just want to protect you."

Ruby grinned, tears falling down her cheeks. "I know! And you have no idea how much I appreciate that." She hugged herself, looking away. "But… I don't want that to stop us from being happy. I may only be seventeen, but I'm not your  _ baby _ sister. I'm not a child. I don't need to be protected from my own feelings."

She took a shaky breath. "And I want to let this thing happen, because Weiss, Blake?  _ I love you. _ Both of you. And, I want to be able to express that. I don't care if we call it dating, I don't know  _ what  _ the right word would be, but I want to build it with you. I don't care if its hard. If it hurts me, that's fine. If it takes work, as much work as anything I've ever done, then  _ fine.  _ This isn't just about my own happiness, it's about  _ yours.  _ And to me, that's more than worth it."

She gazed at them, her eyes shining like the moon. " _ You're  _ worth it." Her eyes fell on Yang again, and suddenly her little sister didn't seem quite so little anymore. " _ All _ of you."

A silence fell, punctuated by the swish of the wind and the chirp of insects. A frog croaked softly.

Weiss chuckled. "You are  _ far  _ too good at telling people you love them, Ruby." She stood, walking to the water's edge with her partner. "You know," she said. "I feel the same way. Since meeting you all I've been shattered, over and over, but you three have always been there to help put me back together, and I'd do the same for you a million times… but I want  _ this  _ as well. You are already my family… but I want more than that. I want to… to lash myself to you, to hold and cling and touch, and to be with you all as long as I breathe." She swallowed, aiming a flustered glance at Ruby, who was staring at her open-mouthed. "Well, you can imagine."

"You know, I was wondering when we'd get to that," Blake chuckled. She lounged beside Yang, sighing as she finally let the anxiety rattle off her bones. "Hell with it. I want this too. I want it so badly I could scream, and I've wanted it for months now. Maybe years if I'm being honest. Whenever I look at you, Weiss, there's this  _ ache,  _ like I just want to grab you and pull you to me and make you feel safe in my arms. And Ruby… I want to kiss you and lie with you and tell you all the stories I can tell." She crossed her arms, staring head-on at Yang. "And don't think for a second that means I want you any less. You know plenty well what I want to do with  _ you. _ "

Yang grinned, feeling the blush as she closed her eyes and fell back to rest on Blake's shoulder. "Ha. Y'know, I think we really are gayer than team CFVY."

It got chuckles, but Blake silenced them with a kiss. A  _ deep  _ kiss, the kind you'd write poetry about.

She spoke as she pulled away, her voice low and hard. "You're right, Yang.  _ This will be hard. _ But we're strong, all of us, and I fully believe we can make this work. I believe  _ you  _ can make this work." Her voice faltered. "I'm… just not sure why you  _ don't  _ believe that."

Silence. The moment had an unbelievable weight, as once again they waited for Yang's answer.

Slowly, she stood, rising and feeling much older than she was. She walked out to stand beside Ruby and Weiss, looking out at the lake. A moment later, Blake joined her, close by her side.

She knew they weren't expecting the words that came out of her mouth. Being honest, neither was she.

"My first memory," she said, "happened right here."

She gestured behind her, to the path that circled round the lake. "I was walking along the lakefront, holding dad's hand. It was springtime, just like this, and the flowers were blooming. Mom walked beside us, holding Ruby in her arms. She was maybe six months old, still the teeniest baby you've ever seen, and I remember being so  _ happy…  _ but the weirdest thing, the thing that's stood out to me for as long as I can remember, is that dad's wasn't the only hand I was holding that day." She sighed, her smile slipping away. "It's nice," she said. "It's a good memory, but now every time I think about it that one detail gets stuck in my head. Mom, dad… and someone else."

She gazed out across the lake. The sun was passing behind the buildings, the dark settling in. It wasn't quite close enough to summer for the days to run long.

"I think that's the only memory I have of her," she said. "My biological mother. But, it tells us something, right? She was there. Dad didn't cheat on her with mom—Ruby's mom. Summer didn't move into his life after some messy break-up or after she… after  _ Raven _ ran away. For at least a short while, they were here, with both of us, and we were a whole family. All five of us,  _ together. _ "

She felt her heart drop, and her voice darkened. "But afterwards… after she left…?" Yang shook her head. "I'd come in from playing outside and find Mom quickly wiping her face off to pretend she hadn't been crying. I'd go to the bathroom late at night and hear them talking, hear the sadness and anger in their voices. I don't know  _ why  _ Raven left mom and dad, but when she did it  _ broke  _ something in their relationship, hurt them deeper than I think they even realized. And when mom died? Dad just  _ crumbled _ . He didn't get loud, or take it out on us. He was just  _ gone.  _ A decade and a half later and the man I remember has only  _ started  _ coming back."

Ruby reached out, and Yang hugged her tight. She felt a hand on her back, a gentle shadow brushing close against her side. Then the click of heels on concrete, and delicate arms embraced her from behind, pressing tight against her back.

Yang took a deep breath, smiling as she closed her eyes and let her wrists unclench, accepting the offered comfort.

_ God. God above, and all the other denizens of whatever passes for heaven in this bullshit world, please let this not be a mistake. I don't want this to be a mistake. _

"What I'm saying," she said, closing her eyes and letting herself speak honestly. "Is that if we're doing this? I need a promise, from all of you. I need you all to look me in the eye and tell me you'll be fully committed to making this work, long-term. We go through this step-by-step. No skipping to the good parts just because we're excited. No half-measures. Back out if you have to, but  _ tell  _ us. Let us try and make things better before you disappear."

"I promise," Weiss said without hesitation. "I said it before; I've no intention of leaving you, not for anything." An ironic smile worked its way into her voice. "And not to be  _ too  _ much of a princess, but if I do disappear suddenly in the night I'd actually rather hope you three would come charging in to save me."

"Wholeheartedly agreed," Blake said. "I've run away from a lot in my life, but… I won't run from this—from you. I promise."

Ruby giggled. "Awesome. You guys, you're all awesome. Y'know that?"

Yang let out a long sigh, a tension sliding off her shoulders and into the air. She let her guard down, slipping her hands back to touch Blake and Weiss, seeking hands to hold. 

"Okay," she said, smiling as she let the last of the walls crash down, becoming kindling for a great, warm fire in her guts. "Let's do it then."

"Hell yeah!" Ruby pumped a fist.

Weiss snickered. "Dolt.  _ Lout." _

"Y'know," Blake murmured, shifting slightly against Yang's back to draw closer to Weiss. "I'm going to need a pet name, too."

"They are  _ not _ pet names!" Weiss insisted. "Pet names are childish and degrading. _ " _

"Whatever you say, Ice Queen." You could  _ taste  _ the smirk in Blake's voice. Yang's heart soared.

"Fine," Weiss muttered, defeated. " _ Scoundrel _ ."

"Ooooh,  _ scoundrel. _ I like that."

Yang shook her head in amusement. "You two don't waste a second, huh?"

Ruby giggled. "I think it's cute."

"I never said it wasn't."

They stayed there at the lakeside for a while, basking in their mutual presence. The earth and sky were like double halves of a oyster shell, holding them tucked away.

But eventually reality had to assert itself, as a loud grumble came from…  _ someone's  _ stomach. It wasn't wholly clear who, but Ruby was the safe bet.

"Um," Blake said. "We… never actually did get dinner."

"Oh stars, we  _ didn't _ ," Weiss groaned. "How  _ late  _ is it?"

Blake flipped open her scroll, frown dual-lit by a streetlight and the screen. "Quarter-past nine. That means most restaurants in Vale are closed already, right?"

Yang smirked, breaking away from the group hug and stretching her arms over her head. "Y'knoooow," she said. "There is  _ one  _ place we know that's open all night."

Ruby pumped her fist in raw excitement. "GLITTER'S!!!"

Blake laughed out loud. "Full circle," she said, shaking her head. She reached out and caught Weiss by the shoulder, dragging Weiss into a side-hug. "I guess this is our  _ real  _ first date, then?"

"And it will be diner food." Weiss's smile was radiant. "A small price to pay for a night like this."

Ruby grinned and suddenly whirled around to grab Weiss out of Blake's grip. Before any protest could be mounted, she hoisted the star-clad girl into her arms.

She started to run, pausing only to look over her shoulder at the two dumbstruck girls behind her. "You guys too! C'mon!"

Yang rolled her eyes at their antics. "We'll catch up, Rubes, it's cool."

"No, no," Ruby said, hefting Weiss meaningfully.

And suddenly, Yang felt herself  _ tip. _ She managed to keep her composure, just barely, as Blake quite literally swept her off her feet.

She looked up into her girlfriend's eyes in confusion. "I've got like three inches on you," she said.

Blake leaned in for a slow kiss. "Yes, but this is a  _ princess  _ carry, and I'm the one in the suit."

Yang felt her fire rising to her cheeks. "Guess I can't argue with that."

"C'mon Blake!" Ruby cheered, ignoring completely the way her own princess was clinging to her for dear life. "Let's race there."

She took off, ignoring Weiss's barely-coherent protests, and after a moment of laughing so hard they couldn't breathe, Blake and Yang followed her, off into the city and the night to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A day later than I planned but the climactic chapter is finally here!
> 
> I've learned a lot from this story, more than I ever thought I would. Did you know this is the second long-form piece of fiction I've ever completed? Because it is! (And the last one took 3 years.)
> 
> Plus, overall, I like this one a lot better. IMEBG isn't perfect, but I'm genuinely happy with it and proud that I've made it this far, and I want to thank all of yinz for being a part of the experience. The support and love have really kept me going. I don't like to include too much info, but the last year has been really, really hard. A lot of Yang's worries about what could happen to Team RWBY are based on lived, *recent* experience.
> 
> I've still got an epilogue left to add before this work is well and truly wrapped up, and I have plans for an immediate sequel work as well. But for now, thanks for sticking with me, and I hope you enjoyed!
> 
> EDIT: OH GOD I FORGOT TO CREDIT MY BETAS I'M SO SORRY
> 
> Thanks to Sgt. Chrysalis and SeventeenFables for the read-through! And sorry I'm a DINK!?


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ended up being more of a final chapter than an epilogue. Oh, and there's also an actual epilogue! Anyway, enjoy!

Velvet stopped her pacing for a moment, her ears perking as she shook herself out from her circling thoughts. "So…" she said into the dim-lit room. "Any word from Blake?"

Coco groaned from where she was passed out on her bed. "You'll get the text when we do, Velvs."

Velvet bounced on her heels, the short sleeves of her T-shirt crinkling under her squeezing fingers. "I knooow, but I'm excited! Aren't you?"

 _"We're all excited, Velvs,"_ Fox sent over the telepathic link he shared with the rest of the team. _"But Coco's got a point."_

Yatsuhashi fluffed the other boy's hair affectionately. Fox was shirtless, lying flat on The CFVY Bean(bag) with his head on Yatsuhashi's lap. It was a good and coveted spot among the team—Yatsu's head scritches were legendary.

"She'll message us in time," Yatsu said, giving Velvet a warm smile. "For now, we must be patient."

Velvet resumed her pacing, though with a bit more spring in her step.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I know I'm obsessing, but I'm just _so excited._ And… a little worried, but mostly excited! Anyway I'm sure it'll go well. I'm sure of it."

 _"You don't have to convin—"_ Fox's broadcast cut off abruptly as his scroll buzzed. _"Shit."_

For all their apparent lethargy, Team CFVY sprang into action with ferocious speed. Coco practically _hurled_ herself off the bed and onto the Bean, rolling, sprawling and getting very close to whacking Yatsu in the face with one of her many limbs. Velvet just did a sort of somersault/belly flop, landing on the other side of the two boys as Fox crumpled himself into Yatsu's lap to avoid being crushed by either of the girls. Only Yatsu stayed still, more out of self-preservation than lack of excitement.

It took them a second to realize they were crowded around _Fox's_ scroll.

Fox let out a tolerant sigh, and spoke aloud. "Ada, activate visual mode."

The screen flashed to life, loading the texting app. Those who could actually see it crowded close, as Fox plugged in his headphones and activated the text-to-speech.

**12:57 A.M.**

**Black CFVY Groupchat**

**ShroudedCat19: Hey so anyway.** **  
** **ShroudedCat19: There have been some developments.**

Velvet _squealed,_ leaping up and zipping over to grab her and Coco's scrolls before slamming back down on the beanbag.

 **CameraShy: !!!!!!** ****  
**CameraShy: How'd it go???** ****  
**ShroudedCat19: Well, good news and bad news…** **  
** **ShroudedCat19: ...I'm kidding, actually, it's all good news!**

Velvet kicked against the Bean, grinning ear to ear and making a sort of adorably-joyful whining noise. Coco rolled her eyes, leaning across the boys to give her girlfriend a surprise kiss. If Fox minded the faceful of her boobs, he didn't comment. Yatsu held his scroll high above all of this, though he was smiling as he continued the conversation.

 **BigBoyCandyKing: Congratulations, Blake!** ****  
**BigBoyCandyKing: If you're willing to share, we'd love to know more, but if you're exhausted I promise we can wait until morning.** **  
** **BigBoyCandyKing: Even if Coco will complain about it.**

Having finally given up her assault on Velvet, Coco glanced at her scroll and gave Yatsu an exaggerated roll of the eyes.

 **CaffeineQueen: traitor.** ****  
**CaffeineQueen: but yeah actually no pressure.** ****  
**ShroudedCat19: Thank you. I appreciate it.** ****  
**ShroudedCat19: The short version, because I *am* just about drained of all emotional energy, is…** ****  
**ShroudedCat19: Well………** **  
** **ShroudedCat19: …They said yes.**

The sound Velvet let out wasn't human, or faunus. Even calling it _animal_ might have been a stretch, but the emotion it encoded was pretty damn obvious nonetheless.

 **CameraShy: !!!!!!!!** ****  
**CameraShy: CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!** ****  
**CameraShy: Oh Blake I'm so happy for you!!!** ****  
**CameraShy: Please please please promise to tell me the details later, please?** ****  
**ShroudedCat19: I'll see what I can do. In the morning. If I ever wake up again.** ****  
**CaffeineQueen: hey. totally understandable if you want to take tomorrow for yourself.** ****  
**CaffeineQueen: or just for you and your girlfriends. 😉** ****  
**ShroudedCat19: Hey, we're taking things slow, and Ruby's not 18 yet so** ****  
**ShroudedCat19: …** ****  
**ShroudedCat19: Ye gods.** ****  
**ShroudedCat19: I have girlfriendS.** **  
** **ShroudedCat19: I have *three* girlfriends.**

Fox started cackling.

 **ShroudedCat19: This cannot be real.** ****  
**ShroudedCat19: Weiss pinched me but I'm still here oh gods it's real.** ****  
**ShroudedCat19: Guys.** ****  
**ShroudedCat19: GUYS.** ****  
**ShroudedCat19: I HAVE GIRLFRIENDS.** **  
** **ShroudedCat19: I HAVE THRWwwwwa**

There was a suspiciously long pause.

**ShroudedCat19: mhmm mhmm okay i see how it is**

Fox wheezed, his laughter finally having deprived him completely of oxygen as he fell of Yatsuhashi's lap and halfway into Velvet's.

 **ShroudedCat19: so this is it huh** ****  
**ShroudedCat19: this is the lair of miscreants and schemers** ****  
**ShroudedCat19: the shadowed dwelling of the masterminds behind it all** ****  
**ShroudedCat19: the vile laboratory that engineered what was honestly a pretty good night** **  
** **ShroudedCat19: whats up asshats**

Velvet giggled, stroking Fox's hair gently as the boy laughed into her stomach. Coco's eyes were glued to her scroll, her grin stretching her mouth to its limit.

 **CaffeineQueen: hi there yang.** ****  
**CaffeineQueen: how's your day been.** ****  
**ShroudedCat19: howdy cc** ****  
**ShroudedCat19: it was yknow** **  
** **ShroudedCat19: busy**

Velvet managed to regain some of her composure.

 **CameraShy: What did you do to Blake?!** ****  
**ShroudedCat19: sat on her** **  
** **ShroudedCat19: weiss is helping**

Coco let out a breathless wheeze.

**ShroudedCat19: speaking of which**

***ShroudedCat19 added WS to the chat.***

***ShroudedCat19 added GunscytheGirl to the chat.***

***ShroudedCat19 added BigYang to the chat.***

***BigYang changed the chat name to "coffea canephora flowers (look it up)"***

**BigYang: thats better** **  
** **BigYang: oh wait one more**

***ShroudedCat19 changed their username to NinjasOfLove69***

**BigYang: perfect** ****  
**BigYang: sup dingdongs** ****  
**WS: So this is the den of iniquity, where evil birthed its vile brood.** ****  
**BigYang: i already did that goof** ****  
**WS: Ah, well. I tried.** **  
** **GunscytheGirl: VELVET WE NEED YOUR BOOKS IMMEDIATELY!**

Velvet stood up, spilling Fox back onto Yatsu's lap in the process.

**CameraShy: Come by the dorm ASAP!!! I'll have a stack ready! Including recommended reading orders for each of you!**

Fox started laughing again. _"You are the biggest dork,"_ he sent. Then he tapped a button on the side of his scroll to activate his dictation software. He then spoke aloud.

 **FoxyWoxy: Velvet is the biggest dork** **  
** **FoxyWoxy: So don't worry you're all in good hands**

"Awww…" Velvet leaned down and planted a kiss on the top of his head, before springing back up and dashing to her bookshelf. Fox reeled for a second, and then Coco _also_ kissed him, making this one last quite a bit longer.

If Yatsuhashi was bothered by all this happening in his lap, he didn't show it, though he did take it upon himself to keep the conversation going.

 **BigBoyCandyKing: In any case, congratulations to each of you!** ****  
**BigBoyCandyKing: You've embarked on a rare and intricate path, and while I cannot promise it will be easy, I hope and believe that the four of you will find bright joy in what lies ahead.** ****  
**BigBoyCandyKing: And if team CFVY can help in any way, I assure you it is always alright to ask.** ****  
**BigYang: thanks yatsu** ****  
**BigYang: will probably take u up on that before too long** ****  
**BigYang: looooootsa boundaries to carve up** ****  
**WS: I think we could all use some guidance going forward. Thank you.** ****  
**GunscytheGirl: yeah thanks! also uh** **  
** **GunscytheGirl: why is your name like that?????**

Yatsuhashi slumped as Coco finally stopped sucking Fox's face off and switched back to her scroll.

 **CaffeineQueen: he lost a bet.** ****  
**CaffeineQueen: anyway big congrats to all you gay kiddos.** ****  
**FoxyWoxy: Yeah ha big props** **  
** **CameraShy: Yeah!!! Also, books are ready!**

CFY looked up to find Velvet had stacked a significant chunk of her library in four neat piles beside her desk, and had taped a piece of notebook paper to the top of each stack.

"Nerd," Coco pronounced. She flopped back, opening her arms wide, and Velvet fell into them in a giggly fit, wrapping around Coco and planting kisses all over her face. Their scrolls buzzed, but only the boys were paying attention.

 **NinjaOfLove69: I'm back.** ****  
**NinjaOfLove69: Oh, of course. Yes, sure, this is fine. Thanks, Yang.** ****  
**BigYang: Love you babe.** **  
** **NinjaOfLove69: Love you too. I'm going to drown myself in my soup now. Please don't look at the chat history.**

Fox's brow furrowed.

 **FoxyWoxy: Wait soup** ****  
**FoxyWoxy: Where are you** ****  
**GunscytheGirl: GLITTER'S!!!** ****  
**FoxyWoxy: You sat on Blake in a diner** ****  
**BigYang: yup** ****  
**WS: It was difficult and undignified, but yes.** ****  
**NinjaOfLove69: I'm actually very impressed and only slightly salty.** ****  
**NinjaOfLove69: Thankfully this soup is very salty.** ****  
**NinjaOfLove69: Anyway…** ****  
**NinjaOfLove69: I wanted to say, thank you, guys. For everything.** ****  
**NinjaOfLove69: I don't think I can express in text how happy I am right now but I guess maybe you four are some of the only people in the world who might be able to imagine it.** **  
** **NinjaOfLove69: I love you guys.**

Yatsuhashi's smile was so big it hurt. Fox had at some point rolled across his lap, and he and Velvet were snuggled up close together.

Coco actually _sniffled._

 **CaffeineQueen: awwww.** ****  
**FoxyWoxy: Awwwww** ****  
**CameraShy: Awwww!!!** ****  
**BigBoyCandyKing: Awwww…** ****  
**BigYang: awwww** **  
** **GunscytheGirl: awwwwwww!**

A pause.

**WS: That was very cute, Blake.**

A _groan._ It might have been a trick of the wind, but CFVY could almost imagine hearing an echo all the way from the city of Vale in the distance.

 **BigYang: weiss you are a spoilsport** ****  
**BigYang: the sport is spoiled** ****  
**WS: Excuse me, I simply believe in decorum.** ****  
**BigYang: that so?** **  
** **WS: Yes, it ijjgjjgjghshhhsshsssssagjaish**

A pause.

 **WS: decorum u say** ****  
***WS changed their name to *WeissCream*** ****  
**GunscytheGirl: OMFG!!!! ^o^** ****  
**BigYang: a monument to ur sins**  
 **BigYang: remember if u change it back ur a coward** ****  
**BigYang: thats goblin law** ****  
**WeissCream: Lout.**  
**CaffeineQueen: did you sit on her too.**  
**NinjaOfLove69: Technically *I* sat on her.** ****  
**NinjaOfLove69: Because it turns out ganging up on Weiss is a very good way to put a great big blush on her cute little face. -w-** ****  
**WeissCream: Scoundrel.** ****  
**NinjaOfLove69: 💜** **  
** **CaffeineQueen: AAC.**

She did, in fact; a little "heh heh heh," with each syllable pronounced clearly. It was objectively adorable. Velvet threw a pillow at her anyway.

 **WeissCream: I'm glad we're all having fun, truly, but lest you've all forgotten we have a *meal* in front of us.** ****  
**GunscytheGirl: yeah! i'm hungy.** ****  
**BigYang: okaaaay but i get to tease weiss more later** ****  
**NinjaOfLove69: Oh we will have *plenty* of time for that, I'm sure.** ****  
**GunscytheGirl: anyway!!! thank you guys for being there for blake when she was stressed out! that was really cool of you guys and i want you to know that the offer goes both ways!** ****  
**GunscytheGirl: if you need help or stuff please feel free to let us know! we may not have experience but Team RWBY has spirit! 😤** ****  
**CaffeineQueen: you got it squirt.** ****  
**CaffeineQueen: with our powers combined we will be unstoppable.** **  
** **GunscytheGirl: Yeah!!! 😄 Coco and Ruby against the world!!!**

Coco let off a proper laugh this time, her cheeks rosy as she grinned. Velvet threw another pillow at her.

 **WeissCream: Why does this development fill me with cataclysmic levels of dread?** ****  
**NinjaOfLove69: Because you're sentient and conscious?** ****  
**BigYang: coco mcfucking adel if u corrupt my baby sister ur gonna have a bad time** ****  
**GunscytheGirl: hey! who i let corrupt me is my business!!!** ****  
**WeissCream: Cataclysmic.** ****  
**WeissCream: But regardless, good night and thank you all! We'll pick those books up first thing tomorrow morning.** ****  
**BigBoyCandyKing: Of course! Please don't let us keep you. It sounds like you've got a bit of night left to enjoy.** ****  
**GunscytheGirl: yeah! thank you so much for everything!** ****  
**BigYang: gnight nerds** ****  
**FoxyWoxy: Have fun kids** ****  
**NinjaOfLove69: 👋** ****  
**CameraShy: Goodnight!!! Don't do anything Coco would do!!!** ****  
**CaffeineQueen: please do everything i would do.** **  
** **CaffeineQueen: >;)**

Coco sat back, grinning like a stoned weasel. "Fuck yeah. Good job team, we did great today." She sat up, turned, and grinned as she slung her arms around Yatsuhashi's shoulders. "I think this calls for a celebration, don't you agree?"

Yatsuhashi stared her down with only the slightest hint of a blush betraying him. "It's already late," he said.

"It's a saturday," Coco responded.

Beside, Velvet giggled, squeezing Fox just a little bit tighter. "I'm up for it," she murmured, pressing her face into his hair in embarrassment.

Fox rolled his eyes for everyone else's benefit. _"You're all terrible,"_ he said. _"Except Yatsu."_

"Excuse me," Coco said, tilting her head to leer at him while straddling Yatsu's lap. "I am a _delight._ "

 _"You're a menace to basic decency,"_ Fox sent, sitting up and drawing closer to her side. He smiled, deadly sharp, and then Coco felt something _else_ over the link. A little emotional payload delivered straight to her brain.

She shivered, her legs abruptly tightening. Yatsuhashi and Velvet, catching a whiff of their own links with Fox, both let out their own little shudders.

_"But decency is overrated anyway."_

* * *

By the time they left the diner, the signs of exhaustion were finally starting to show. 

They walked the quiet streets of Vale, unhurried but determined. Weiss was leaning on Blake in a show of boldness which was becoming very familiar. Yang had taken to heckling them over their lack of personal space, though both the jibes and the responses lacked the energy of their earlier bouts. 

Ruby watched them with an honest smile, but stayed a step behind. She was too exhausted for banter, or flirting, or _whatever_ it was. Honestly it was kinda terrifying how much capacity Weiss and Yang had for teasing each other. It was a wonder they'd been able to hold back so long.

 _But they don't have to hold back anymore._ She shut her eyes, grinning as tears threatened to spill. Her whole body felt light and fast, like she could run around the world a thousand times or more. _I'm so happy! I'm so glad they're happy. This is the_ **_best._ **

She sighed, letting herself relax until her scroll buzzed in her pocket and pulled her out of her thoughts and into mild confusion. _Who's messaging me after midnight? Team CFVY?_

She flipped it open, and her eyes popped.

**12:36 AM**

**MotherOfInvention: Hello friend Ruby! How is your romantic excursion going?**

_OH NO._

Ruby shook herself, tapping furiously on the scroll as excitement and nerves welled up inside her in equal measure.

 **GunscytheGirl: HELLO PENNY!!!**   
**GunscytheGirl: sorry i haven't messaged you since yesterday! things have been absolutely crazy!** ****  
**MotherOfInvention: It is quite alright!** **  
** **MotherOfInvention: While I was not able to determine anything conclusive, you and Weiss seemed to be in high spirits this morning, and later went on an outing with your teammates which appeared to be celebratory/amorous in nature! Should I take it your efforts at courtship were successful?**

Ruby breathed a sigh of relief, her grin slipping back into place.

 **GunscytheGirl: yeah!!!** **  
** **GunscytheGirl: way more than I expected actually!**

She giggled, a little nervousness slipping into her voice.

 **GunscytheGirl: like *way* more** **  
** **GunscytheGirl: so anyway i guess i'm also dating blake?**

There was a pause of a few seconds. In a conversation with Penny, that felt like hours.

 **MotherOfInvention: Oh my.** ****  
**MotherOfInvention: Congratulations!** **  
** **MotherOfInvention: That exceeds my own expectations of your success by a *considerable* margin!**

Ruby laughed.

 **GunscytheGirl: I KNOW RIGHT???** ****  
**GunscytheGirl: anyway the short version is that everyone in team RWBY is gay for each other except me and yang, so we're all kinda dating each other now I guess?** ****  
**MotherOfInvention: So you are in a polyamorous quad/tetrad, minus one axis?** ****  
**GunscytheGirl: yeah! polyamory! that's what team cfvy call it.** ****  
**GunscytheGirl: how did you know that?** **  
** **MotherOfInvention: I have access to a great number of virtualized libraries.**

Ruby chuckled.

 **GunscyhteGirl: y'know somehow i'm not even really surprised.** ****  
**MotherOfInvention: ;)** ****  
**MotherOfInvention: Regardless, I'm very happy for you!** ****  
**MotherOfInvention: Will you be returning to Beacon soon?** ****  
**GunscytheGirl: yup! we got food at glitter's, which is a diner and also a place i gotta take you next time you're in vale!** ****  
**GunscytheGirl: oh, did you get that food module you mentioned?** ****  
**MotherOfInvention: I am gourmand ready!** ****  
**MotherOfInvention: :)** ****  
**GunscytheGirl: awesome!** **  
** **GunscytheGirl: then it's a date!**

Ruby suddenly felt like exploding to death right there on the spot. She nearly fumbled her scroll, her cheeks flaring as she typed furiously.

 **GunscytheGirl: I MEAN A FRIEND DATE** ****  
**GunscytheGirl: sorry i'm thinking way too much about my romantic life right now and it just slipped out i didn't mean to make you feel weird or anything!** **  
** **GunscytheGirl: even though we actually did talk about dating outside the team and agreed that it was cool if we talked about each case first and you're a really good friend of mine who i like a lot and you're also really cute and i'm going to stop talking now.**

She lowered her scroll, reaching to tug her hood up over her head before remembering she was still wearing a fancy dress. Her burning ears would just have to cool off in the chill spring air. Her scroll buzzed a couple of times, and she hesitantly looked at it again.

 **MotherOfInvention: :D** **  
** **MotherOfInvention: It is alright friend Ruby! I think that sounds lovely regardless of whether it is a romantic or platonic occasion.**

Ruby breathed what seemed like her thousandth sigh of relief that night.

**GunscytheGirl: great!!!**

Ruby's brain reengaged.

 **GunscytheGirl: wait what?** **  
** **MotherOfInvention: Ah! I see you!**

The words hit Ruby in a peculiar way, shifting her focus abruptly. She looked up, realizing they'd arrived at the ferry station.

**GunscytheGirl: oh, one of the security cameras?**

She searched for the usual signs, and found it almost immediately; while most of the cameras on the station's roof had a little red LED to indicate they were recording, the one on the corner facing her had been switched to green instead. It was tiny; her teammates would almost certainly miss it.

Which… was for the best, for now. A body could only take so many world-shattering revelations per day.

 **GunscytheGirl: oh i see you!!! hi penny!!!** **  
** **MotherOfInvention: Hello Ruby! I cannot wave but you can imagine I am if you like!**

Ruby giggled, offering a shy wave and hoping the camera couldn't pick up her blush from this distance.

**MotherOfInvention: The infrared sensor indicates your body temperature is elevated. Are you alright?**

Not for the first time, Ruby cursed her traitorous biology.

 **GunscytheGirl: yeah!!! i'm fine, just excited! it's been a really intense day.** **  
** **MotherOfInvention: Understood completely, friend Ruby!**

Ruby looked up as the sound of engines cut through the dark air. Lights in the black sky above.

Yang waved at her while Weiss tapped her foot on the ferry platform expectantly. Blake was giving her a curious look, and Ruby felt herself wilt a little. She hadn't realized how far behind she'd fallen.

She sprinted forward to join them, accepting and deflecting their teasing with genuine smiles, but unable to meet their eyes. They boarded the ferry together, and settled into the seats. Ruby found she had a hard time keeping her head up, but Blake's shoulder made a pretty good pillow.

She yawned, blinking sleepily, as her thoughts spun down towards sleep. Still, she held her scroll loosely in one hand.

 **GunscytheGirl: anyway! i'm probably too sleepy to keep this conversation going much longer, but thank you for always being so supportive and stuff! you're a really great friend, penny.** ****  
**MotherOfInvention: Thank you, Ruby! I hope you know that I also consider you a great friend!** ****  
**MotherOfInvention: If you are exhausted, it would probably be best for you to head straight to bed—after your routine ablutions of course!** ****  
**GunscytheGirl: yeeeeah i know** ****  
**GunscytheGirl: i promise i'll brush my teeth** ****  
**GunscytheGirl: and also sleep** ****  
**MotherOfInvention: :)** ****  
**MotherOfInvention: Goodnight Ruby!** **  
** **GunscytheGirl: goodnight penny! love you!**

…

Ruby stared at the words, her blood turning to syrup as she read them over and over. She groaned, and smushed her face into Blake's shoulder. "Blaaaaaaake, I'm _dumb._ "

Blake smiled down at her, shifting to let Ruby rest more comfortably. "No you're not. What's up?"

"I said a dumb thing because I'm dumb."

"You may be a _dolt,_ but you're not _dumb_ , Ruby," Weiss said. A moment later, a small hand drifted across Ruby's head. "You don't have to tell us now, but perhaps in the morning, if you're feeling up to it?"

The fingers tingled on her scalp, down the back of her neck, fingernails sweeping along her earlobe. She buried her face further in Blake, making a noise.

"That's a yes," Yang supplied, helpfully.

* * *

Once the airship touched down, they made their shambling way to the dorm, threw open the door, and… stopped.

There was a moment, brief but with full participation, where they all stared at the beds in a contemplative silence.

Yang pinched the bridge of her nose. "No."

Ruby spun with a grin on her face. "But—"

"No. We are not doing this tonight. We are _entirely_ too new and too sleepy to work out bed-sharing arrangements. For now we are all sleeping _separately,_ like we _normally_ do. Working out who gets to sleep with who is going to be a nightmare and a half and I am _way_ too exhausted to even consider it right now."

"Aww, okay." Ruby had the dignity not to pout, but she still felt her thoughts and eyes drifting to how nice it would be to wake up cuddled next to Weiss, or Blake, or between Weiss and Blake, or just in a big pile with every—

"Ruby?" Blake was suddenly very close. "You okay?"

Ruby _eeped_ back a step, grinning too hard. "Um, yeah, actually. Her heart drummed in her chest as she fought back a sudden rush of half-coherent thoughts. She caught her breath, lost it, caught it again. "H-hey Blake?"

Blake tilted her head. A lock of hair drifted down from behind her ear to sweep across her smile. She'd undone her tie at some point, and Ruby found her eyes magnetized to her collarbone, because _apparently_ she was suddenly incapable of being chill.

"Yes, Ruby?"

Ruby swallowed, looking into Blake's eyes and willing herself to be brave. "HeyBlakewoulditbeokayifIaskedyouforagoodnightkiss?" she blurted. Then blushed, then blurted again, "Ifyou'reokwithitalsoIguessthatwasme asking, so…"

She trailed off, her whole body lit with nervous tension. The ghost of her aura wisped crimson over her skin, responding to a threat that didn't exist. _Oh heck, oh heck, is it too early for that?_

Blake blinked, her mouth parting in surprise. She glanced back at Yang—who smiled and shrugged—then back at Ruby. She took a deep breath, started to speak, then blushed, and stopped.

"Oh _come on,"_ Weiss groaned. She stalked over to Yang, grabbed her by the shoulder, and pulled her face-to-face. " _Someone_ has to get this nonsense started. Yang? Please kiss me senseless."

Yang laughed, shot the others a sheepish grin, and _obliged._

It started tame, then was very quickly _not_ tame, as both of them melted deep into their first kiss. Yang's experience and Weiss's schooling hit each other like flint and steel. There was tongue.

Ruby swallowed, and realized she was holding Blake's hand. Tight.

When Weiss and Yang finally parted, they stared at each other red-faced for a long moment.

"Wow," Yang said. "You ah, you're good at that."

"You're no slouch yourself," Weiss said, her bright pink ears giving the lie to her apparent composure. She glared at Ruby and Blake. "Now you two get on with it so we all can get some _sleep._ "

Ruby giggled, squeezing Blake's hand as they turned to each other. "You think we can top that?" she asked.

"No," Blake replied with a roll of her eyes. "But, we don't have to."

They kissed.

Blake was… _different._ Ruby didn't have much to compare it with, but she was just… _more._ She was incredibly gentle, but it wasn't hummingbird-wings gentle. It was the gentleness of something much bigger and scarier than you, seeking not to hurt.

Ruby was breathless when they parted. She very much wanted to learn just what Blake was _actually_ capable of, someday. She grinned, laughed, pressed her head into Blake's chest, pulling her into a hug. "AAAAAAH," she screamed, muffling it with her girlfriend(!)'s body. "Blake I love you!"

Blake let out a bemused chuckle, stroking Ruby's hair. "I love you too, Ruby."

Weiss coughed. "Very good, yes." She strode over to Blake and Ruby, staring into Blake's eyes in silent demand.

Blake stared back with impassive calm. "You need to ask."

A whole-body shudder went through Weiss, a cracked-porcelain moment that turned her demand to a fragile question: "Kiss me?"

Blake smiled, and released one of Ruby's shoulders to place her hand on Weiss's cheek and guide her in.

Watching was… something. The kiss was slow and deep, and Weiss suddenly didn't look so commanding. Maybe it was just the fact that Blake was taller, or maybe it was the way Yang ghosted up behind Weiss, brushing up against her in a moment of quiet affection.

Weiss murmured her approval as she pulled back, pupils blown and shining. She turned to Ruby, and there wasn't any hesitation.

It was familiar, because Weiss had been her first, but there was something different this time. Something unworried and unhurried in the play of lips. The tension had gone out of Weiss, and in its place was something soft and happy and kind.

It twanged at Ruby like a guitar string. In that moment she wanted nothing more than to push Weiss up against the wall and do… silly and immature things to her. Or, _too-_ mature things? She wasn't sure where those lines lay anymore.

It was the first time she'd ever felt like that. It scared her, a little.

But she didn't let it control her, didn't let the fear push Weiss away.

She felt a hand on her back, sliding, then arms wrapping around her. A kiss planted on her neck. Blake. She heard Yang laugh, somewhere a ways off, giving them space.

She felt something falling off her shoulders. Or maybe she was falling into it? Deep into someplace warm, and gentle, and _good_ , someplace which shouldn't exist in a world so cruel, but did so regardless of "shouldn't," through outright defiance or just strength and kindness beyond what anyone knew.

She let herself melt down into their dual embrace, eyes fluttering closed.

There was a lot left to work out, but Future Ruby could deal with it in the morning.

For now, for this moment, Ruby Rose let herself be loved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit guys.
> 
> Holy shit.
> 
> It's done.
> 
> It's actually done. 8 months of work and it's done.
> 
> Fuck yeah.
> 
> Thanks to Sgt. Chrysalis, SeventeenFables, and now FriendofYggrdrasil for the beta-ing!
> 
> And thanks to all of you for sticking around for the ride!
> 
> (Also, go read the epilogue.)


	15. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! This is the epilogue, which I posted a few minutes after chapter 14. Go read that first if you haven't already! Thanks!!!

When the morning came, it came slowly, enough that it didn't stir anyone until well after the sun was up.

Jaune's eyes were the first to open.

He let out a scratchy sigh, twisting his neck to get the kink out of it. The effort mostly succeeded, though there was still the fuzzy ache of dehydration in his head.

There was also a weight on his chest. It made breathing a little difficult.

He smiled, regardless, knowing what he'd see before he looked down. Russet hair, let down and messy from sleep. It spread in long tangles all over, getting everywhere. Pyrrha didn't complain about it—she didn't complain about anything much—but he'd seen her struggle to put it up a few times. It was one of those things you don't find out about someone unless you live with them. And even then, not unless they let you.

He heard a yawn, and turned his head to find Nora squinting at him across the room. She was in roughly the same position Jaune was, only with Ren's face buried in her boobs. She shot him a thumbs-up and a sleepy grin.

Jaune smiled back, and turned to the girl in his bed as he felt her stir. "Good morning—"

She looked up at him with eyes that were hers and also  _ not _ .

Jaune's voice died in his throat. Neither of them spoke for a long, long time, just staring at each other over the startlingly-short distance. Off to the side, Nora sat up fully, rousing Ren enough to realize what had happened.

The girl in Jaune's bed was the first to speak. 

"Good morning to you too," she said, lifting an eyebrow in sarcastic concern. She turned, eyes panning slowly across the room, locking onto the others before returning to Jaune. "So…" she began. "Did we just switch while she was sleeping, or did you and me just get  _ super  _ drunk last night?"

Jaune almost laughed. He might, someday. For now though, he just took a long, slow, deep breath in, and looked at the girl who wasn't Pyrrha.

"Hey," he said. "Good morning, Amber."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You have no idea how hype I've been to get to this part.
> 
> Thanks to Sgt. Chrysalis, SeventeenFables, and FriendofYggdrasil for the beta!
> 
> And thank you for reading! I'll see yins in the sequel!


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